Jon Claxton | Photography

After having an incredible Christmas Eve dinner at the Gandola residence, Buckwheat and I woke up the following morning to join the family for a morning of paper shredding and merry making.  At around 8:00, Ethan and Elyse (the stars of the morning) commenced the festivities by shredding whatever package we put in front of them; increasing their bounty of toys by the minute.  But somehow it was the noisy toys that made it to the forefront though (thanks to my sister, Denise).  Our Santa Claus from Colorado sent Elyse a super amplified keyboard and Ethan an electronic game, neither of which seemed to have a volume control.  After all the presents had been opened,  the party almost got out of control when one of the patrons began yanking the ornaments from the tree and smashing them on the ground.  I’m happy to report that no one was injured. 

Some family photos from my 24-hour stint can be found at:  www.jonclaxton.com/Christmas2008

First off, I have to admit that this is not a fresh photo (I took it in 2007); however, this does not preclude this photo from being getting posted on the blog.  I want this blog to also include my most recent stream of consciousness.  Therefore, I posted this photo because I had a momentary relapse tonight.  It was the kind of relapse you have after having 4 pints of beer with a friend and you talk about a wild location that you would like to visit (Chile is next on the list for me, I hope).  So I posted this photo because it reminds me of a wonderful adventure I shared with my buddy Pat Patten, where the cold water really didn’t matter much.  My guess is that the water in Chile couldn’t be any colder.  Anyways, I hope you all are inspired to take a new trip in 2009 that makes you happy or changes your perspective on life.  Cheers.

Last week has been a blur of travel. Almost to the point of rock star status, minus the girls, drugs, roadies, late nights, etc. After spending a few days in Phoenix on a work trip, I returned to SLO, only to pack up the bags, pet the dog, and kiss my woman, then I flew out to Vernal, Utah. My mission: to find Sclerocactus claucus. This tiny cactus is considered to be federally threatened and protected under the Federal Endanagered Species Act. The crazy thing about this cactus is that is about the size of a quarter. So for days, I walked through a desert, nearly hand-in-hand with a group of fellow biologists, as we literally “Combed the desert.” (God, I love Spaceballs). And, hey, guess what? We didn’t find shit. The photo I’ve included above was taken at a reference location, where the cactus is known to occur. As for the transects we walked, not one of these species was found. And, unfortunately, our survey period ended up getting cut short due to a dusting of snow that easily covered our spiney little friends for the winter.