This one smells like strawberries

While we were at Pactola Lake this weekend, I took a moment to scratch off a little bark & sniff this tree. This particular one smelled like strawberries. I haven't done this in years. It was delightful.

If you're not familiar with this practice, the idea is that you scrape off just a little bit of outer bark, just sort of flaking it off with your fingernail, until you get to that pinkish layer underneath. Then you sniff it, and it can smell like strawberry, vanilla or chocolate. I remember doing this a lot as a kid.

Have you ever done this? Do you still do it? Have you never heard of this and just think I'm crazy? Let me know in the comments. 

Time for stargazing at your desk

Here's an awesome video of the Milky Way as seen from the plains of South Dakota. If you've spent your whole life in the city, you don't know what you're missing when it comes to stargazing in the middle of nowhere. This will give you an idea. Watch it in HD, fullscreen, in a dark room if you can.


Plains Milky Way from Randy Halverson on Vimeo.

If you're curious, click through to Vimeo, where Randy Halverson gives some details on how he shot the video.