Brazilian Amazon

[Anne Kilmer]

Liz Day wrote:
> 
> > > Let's ask that question now:  How many of you at this site would be
> > > interested in
> > > a non-collecting butterfly study trip to the Amazon ?
> >
> > Do I get to be young and muscular?
> 
> Anne,
> 
> Yes, you do!  You heard Dr. Shuey - there's a 4-hour trek up some
> big ole hill.  Bring some hefty binoculars, microscopes, camera, etc.
> If you're not muscular when you start out, you will be when you finish!
> 
> Furthermore, when you reach the camp, you'll find that
> a) you're a thousand miles or so from the nearest fashion-addled socialite
> who could care whether that color sweater flatters your complexion;
> and
> b) you're in the company of 8 or 10 fit, studly men with beards, who
> will soon realize you're practically the only woman they're going to lay
> eyes on in over a week;
> and
> c) you can play with bugs all day long.
> 
> If this doesn't make you feel young, nothing will!  ;-)
> 
> However, you mustn't tell anybody back home.  If the media ever got word that
> people could get fit by chasing leps, soon everybody would be doing it.  :-(
> You'd go up to the farthest cloudforest in Mexico, and there would be Madonna,
> with her personal trainer, and she'd be holding some poor butterfly and saying,
> "I need 500 of these for my new video."  So keep it sub rosa.  Remember
> the secret handshake, where you tap your fingers on their hand like antennae.
> 
> See you there! :-)
> 
> Liz

Honey, the studly bearded man I have fits just fine. But 4 mile walks
uphill do not, alas, fit in with the rest of my lifestyle.
        I have noticed that guys who like bugs (frogs, snakes,
lizards) find me fascinating, but I wasn't as sure as you are that it's
a compliment. I am reminded of the princess in the fairy story from
whose mouth snakes, toads, frogs and beetles cascaded when she spoke.
(Her more fortunate sister hurled flowers.)  She would have been a great
success among the circles we enjoy, wouldn't she?
        When the North Ireland butterfliers took me on walks, several of
the guys pretended that they needed to sit down halfway up the hill,
take shorter walks, stuff like that. I wasn't fooled, but I was
flattered.
I'd watch that secret handshake; it could be misconstrued.
You go and then write us all about it.
Cheers
Anne