Went with some friends to a local waterfall where we had to walk through the river to get there. So much for water shoes; I've already wrecked my Dansko sandals, so I just wore an old pair of running shoes. On the way, we passed a branch loaded with leaf cutter ants, and I learned that there is a cut off and some ants are not accepted for the carrying. These guy
s are so tenacious that they carve huge swaths through grass, bush and undergrowth, making highways to carry their huge bundles. Then the leaves all go into a pile inside the ant hill condos, and there it ferments; friend Bill swears that they then have a big party, but I'm more inclined to believe friend Mike who says the nutritional mixture gives them their necessary food requirements.
s are so tenacious that they carve huge swaths through grass, bush and undergrowth, making highways to carry their huge bundles. Then the leaves all go into a pile inside the ant hill condos, and there it ferments; friend Bill swears that they then have a big party, but I'm more inclined to believe friend Mike who says the nutritional mixture gives them their necessary food requirements.And it wasn't all smooth sailing, wading through this river. Mike warned me to always watch what was on tree branches before I put my hands around them, and this is the reason
:
: Right after he told me, I put my hand up instinctively and almost smashed it down on this spider, innocent though he may have been!
By the time I first caught sight of the waterfall, young Vincent had already scaled the side of the bottom on and was on his way to the top where he did a back flip off a branch into the highest pool, which because of my angle I couldn
't see, making his flip look as though he were going head first into the rocks. For an 11 year olf kid, the guy was utterly fearless and masterful in his approach. I planned just to climb the root-riddled trail and watch these guys jump, slide and swim, but once at the top, it was all too enticing. I carefully balanced my glasses on a 
root, took off my shirt and shorts and climbed down to a reasonable height from which to jump - in my sopping and heavy sneakers. I am trying to upload a video amd suppose I must have faith that this is actually it. We returned, sloshing through the rising river, rain pelting down on us, then slooshed through the muddy field where the mud often came up over our knees - you can imagine those sneaks by now - and got to the woman's house where we parked and where a hose and dry clothes were waiting for those of us with foresight and foreknowledge; I was dumb enough to lug my towel with me, and at this point it was drenched and dripping.
't see, making his flip look as though he were going head first into the rocks. For an 11 year olf kid, the guy was utterly fearless and masterful in his approach. I planned just to climb the root-riddled trail and watch these guys jump, slide and swim, but once at the top, it was all too enticing. I carefully balanced my glasses on a 
root, took off my shirt and shorts and climbed down to a reasonable height from which to jump - in my sopping and heavy sneakers. I am trying to upload a video amd suppose I must have faith that this is actually it. We returned, sloshing through the rising river, rain pelting down on us, then slooshed through the muddy field where the mud often came up over our knees - you can imagine those sneaks by now - and got to the woman's house where we parked and where a hose and dry clothes were waiting for those of us with foresight and foreknowledge; I was dumb enough to lug my towel with me, and at this point it was drenched and dripping.We drove home in the dark, swerving to avoid potholes but feeling as though for a short time we had become a part of the natural world, which, indeed, we had!
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