100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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Joro Spiders in Georgia

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Arachiphobia-- Joro Spider Edition

The Joro spider has made it's grand debute in our back yard. At first I confirmed the spiders were Joros with the University of Georgia. The first picture was confirmed as a juvenile female. The second picture I grabbed off the net showing what they're really like---large and very scarey. Their appearance is one thing, but there are other notable characteristics. The webs are large, deep and sticky. They are considered 3-D. They have facets of typical spiral webs all connected. The size is immense compared to other spiders around here in North Georgia. The web can easily span 10 or more feet. The filiments are incredibly strong and clingy. You find out how strong the filiments are when you walk into them. For additional amusement, the Joro's webs are often built at human face level. Yes, that's right. That big scarey spider in a large gooey web (built overnight) at face level just right for walking into. Great experience. These Joros are proliferating at a great rate. They are pretty much everywhere. I bought spray just for them. I have killed dozens and dozens.

Joro article

Wikipedia I updated Wikipedia with my pic and the correction about the size of the webs.

To give you a better idea of the Joro webs and spiders, I took the first pic zoomed way in. You can see the web about 100 feet away with the naked eye. And the second pic is what I found in the middle. Just getting a pic of a spider web is difficult let alone from 100 feet away. The web traverses about 3 meters. Leaves get tangled in these webs they are so strong.

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100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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Image
We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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