my weekend

This weekend we attended the 8th Annual Hungarian Arachnological Conference - and it is always a family event. There are not many arachnologists in our country, and those who have family, usually bring their kids and spouses along. The Conference is almost always located in a small village, where wildlife (including spiders of the wild) can be studied immediately and within easy reach.

The schedule usually goes like this: Everyone arrives at Friday, late afternoon. On Saturday, the researchers have their 10 minute-speaches. It usually takes the first part of Saturday, and then we are free for the rest of the weekend - adults are usually having fun, while kids voluntarily enter the see how much dirt can you get into your clothes within an hour contest. We all head home with tonnes of muddy, dripping clothes by Sunday...

This year, we were canoeing in a still back water brach of River Duna (Danube/Donau) in the North-Western corner of our present country.

Enjoy the pictures!

A friendly horse in one of the nearby yards. All the younger kids felt compelled to feed her.

A friendly volley-ball game. The kids enjoyed falling into the sand, not caring reall much about the direction of the ball itself. One of the adults playing was a professional volleyball tranier - I really respect her staying with us during the game!

One of the things I adore in backwater branches: that your brain sometimes is more needed than your sheer force of hands - the latter is also required, though.

A simple part of the river - and about one fourth of the total crew aboard.

Life in a lifeless log. My favourite picture of the collection.

We made felt spiders using sheep's fleece.

The kids, especially the little girls enjoyed this activity very much. All the spiders pictured above were made according to field guide books of spiders, so, apart from minor details, they all depict an actual specimen. At the bottom left corner, there's the one I made. It is a Crab spider (Misumena vatia). Also photograped: some balls, two weasels of different colors, and four more spiders.