I know you’re feeling low right now, but I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you:

STOP

I’m a 44 year old Louisville fan and let me just say, THANK YOU.

You delivered a great 3 year stretch.

You played your hearts out for my alma mater and I loved watching every damn minute of it.

For the Michigan State game, there are no apologies needed. Some days, you wake up, and the other guy just owns your lunch. It is the way things can go.

TWill: You brought the swagger back to a program that lacked it some. And you delivered a Big East Championship in the regular season and the tourney. And we had the #1 seed for the first time ever. Be proud. And in your senior year, you showed the world what a COMPLETE player should be.

Earl: Thanks for the magnificent 3 years. You’ll always be remembered as the the guy no team could deal with. And your final season was rife with highlights I’ll always remember, including the clutch shot against #1 Pitt to seal the deal.

Andre: In my entire life, I’ve never seen a Louisville player give more effort than you did. If you were only healthy your first 2 years, the press might talk about you more than anyone. Thank you for the immaculate effort. You left it all on the floor, and you’ll be missed.

Thanks guys. I hope that all of our graduates have your class and accomplishments. You are CARDINALS!

Be proud.

Louisville played flat and Michigan State just wanted it more. Congrats to them, I hope they can knock off UConn.

Great year Cards too. I was hoping for a Final 4. So long Terrance Williams, Andre McGee and Earl Clark. I loved those guys.

I’ll miss Terrance the most. I wish he could have brought it home for us and for himself. I’ll always remember his last game on the home floor.

My day is made when Memphis loses.

And they complained about not being a number one seed.

Hee hee.

I’ve been looking at the ground practically my entire life.

Before I went to school, I’d watch anthills with fascination for hours. Growing up and going to Florida on vacation, I learned to beach comb searching for sharks teeth in Venice. Once I learned to snorkel, I’d spend most of my time on vacation searching the bottom of the shallow Gulf shores for crabs and snails and the occasional stingray.

I think I’m bound to it in some way. The natural reaction for many when they head outdoors is to look up or out. The scenery, the sky, it all grabs your attention.

When I’m out hiking, I tend to look down.

And it’s not because of my clumsy tendencies that sometimes have me looking up suddenly from a prone position.

Spring in Jefferson Forest is no exception. Looking down this year is even a better idea because there are more tree limbs and other debris on the ground than ever. Though I must admit that the volunteers that have helped clear Jefferson Forest trails since the January ice storm have done a magnificent job.

On Wednesday afternoon (March 25^th) I decided to check out the Siltstone Trail section of Jefferson Forest between Scott’s Gap Road and Bear Camp Road. At 3.5 miles, it makes for a nice “there and back again” 7 mile ridge line hike. The weather was typical Ohio Valley Spring with temperatures barely breaking 60 and scattered showers in the area.

The trail condition was possibly the cleanest I’ve ever experienced in over 10 years of hiking the JF. The trail was clean of almost all small debris, but the windy conditions are still knocking small limbs onto the ground, and this will probably be the case for at least a year or more. There are some serious widowmakers left hanging out there, so be careful when hiking any areas with ice storm damage.

The Spring wildflower season is at its very early stages, but there is plenty to see out on the trail. There are about 7 different species of wildflower already in bloom, but the vast majority of Spring color is still a few weeks away. Thanks to the warm weather, redbud trees are blooming a little early, but are not in full bloom just yet. When watching the trail, look for the tiny scarlet and purple buds on the ground if you want to find a redbud blooming.

In addition to the flora, I spotted some very interesting fauna.

Spring turkeys were way too fast for my camera, as were the usual songbirds including bluejays and bluebirds. The pileated woodpecker continues to be my white whale of photography, even though I saw one quite clearly (the lighting was terrible). Pileateds tend to call their eerie laughter when you are near their nesting site, but they rarely come close if you can be spotted easily.

The highlight of the hike was a first for me, and the second new species I’ve spotted in as many weeks in the forest. Last week, it was the mourning cloak butterfly, this week it was a juvenile red-spotted newt. After some research in my Audubon wildlife guides, I found that the juveniles, called red efts, are found in leaf litter along ridges and the forest floor, usually after rain showers. The conditions were perfect for this sighting and I hope to see a few more in the coming weeks before the usual lizards and toads start making their appearances.

Over the coming 6 weeks, be sure to get out to the local area parks and enjoy the awakening Spring, it is truly my favorite time to hike. And take the time to look down at the little things. Sometimes, they are the best part of the day.

I took quite a few pictures while hiking, so I hope you enjoy the photo album Siltstone Newt.

Red spotted newt

Spring flora

Great weekend of college basketball, even if there wasn’t a glass slipper involved.

This year’s Sweet 16 contains more chalk than ever with the top 3 seeds from all four regions advancing, and only 2 seeds outside the top four reaching the second weekend.

Louisville survived a tough game from a really mature and gutsy Sienna team, but Terrence Williams would not let his team lose. It was his shining moment as a Cardinal in my eyes and it makes me hopeful for the next 2 weekends.

Up next, a super hot Arizona team, even though they are the lowest seed in the 16.

GO CARDS!

I truly love this time of year.

Tomorrow the “Big Dance” gets underway. Last second buckets, Cinderellas, I dig all of it.

Just the best time of the year. Louisville as the #1 in both polls and the overall #1 seed is strange, but I could get used to it.

It’s still mid-March, but Spring has sprung in the Ohio valley.

The ice-storm damage from January will be with Jefferson Forest for years to come. Though the trails are clear of major debris, the evidence of the storm is everywhere. Windy conditions for the next year should be approached with caution when hiking Jefferson Forest due to the widespread tree damage and the plethora of hanging limbs.

With all that being said, and temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s over the last 2-3 weeks, the greenery is sprouting throughout the Forest. With an eye to the ground and a patient pace, I’ve hiked the Scotts Gap Loop and Horine Reservation trails over the last 2 days. There are wildflowers in bloom, and song birds in song, and critters I’ve never seen before.

There are already butterflies about, and one I’ve never seen before is in abundance. Late this afternoon, I spotted many Mourning Cloak butterflies and they were kind enough to pose for me several times. The Mourning Cloak likes to bask in the Sun, and when you disturb them  while walking, try stopping and just wait for a few minutes. More than half the time, the butterflies returned to their basking spot within a couple of minutes.

In addition to bugs, I spotted a few cricket frogs near Mitchell Hill Lake and I also spotted Bluebirds, Blue Jays and a wide variety of Woodpeckers and song birds.

The trees are still barren, but flowers are popping up and the ground clutter is getting some green back in its color.

Over the next month, expect an explosion of flowers and life in Jefferson Forest. Be sure to make time to get out and see it.

I hope you enjoy the album Springish 09.

As a Louisville basketball fan, I’m in unfamiliar waters.

We’ve never been ranked #1 in any poll (We made #1 in both the final AP and Coach’s polls) and we’ve never been an overall top seed.

What we thought Pitino would bring us has finally arrived, and it is an uncomfortable fit.

The bullseye on our back makes me itch. But what a great season it has been. I hope our guys rise to the challenge.

In a year when no other conference tournament found their number one seed in the tourney finals, and a year when a lot of teams gave us no respect over our schedule, Louisville shut everyone’s mouth tonight in Madison Square Garden.

Down 8 again at half, the Cards scorching defense created a 20-4 run coming out of half and suddenly, an 8 point deficit was a 9 point lead, and they never looked back.

Hats off to a game Syracuse team that ran out of gas.

Selection Sunday should find Louisville with a #1 seed for the first time in school history.

It’s a good day in Louisville.

Louisville keeps convincing me they belong.

Villanova beat us like a gong in the first half to lead by 8.

We came back in the second half and outscored Nova by 22 in the second half.

Defense wins championships baby.