Gossamer Tapestry

Reflections on conservation, butterflies, and ecology in the nation's heartland

Friday, August 17, 2007

Blogaversary


Can it really be a year already? This whole blogging thing started out as an experiment, and has really gotten to be an important part of my life. I had been reading blogs for longer than that. They were mostly well-known blogs with huge readerships, like Andrew Sullivan and The Panda's Thumb. I'd even occasionally leave comments, though mostly I was a lurker.

Then my friend Michael started his Spo Reflections blog. This was new to me. The other blogs were like marketplaces of ideas, but Michael and his circle of fellow bloggers were more like a community. I started leaving comments, and eventually started this blog. It's been a wonderful year, filled with wonderful folks. Some highlights:
  • The gift of pickles and jam from Rodger and Mark, two of my favorite bloggers.
  • Meeting bloggers Tony and Homer, both fine fellows and a lot of fun to hang with.
  • The discovery just this week of somebody doing a photoblog of my butterfly exhibit.
  • Bug Girl saying embarassingly complimentary things about me.
  • Sharing my successes and failures with a bunch of supportive people.
And then there was the accidental discovery, sometime last spring, of a blog called The Taming of the Band-Aid. This is the blog of a guy in south Florida doing ecological restoration on his little plot of land, and sharing other thoughts on the natural wold. He and his blog are both interesting in theior own right, but his blogroll linked me to a whole bunch of like-minded folks scattered across the country. They have all become important reads to me.

So as my first year of blogging comes to a close, I'd like to thank my readers for making this a rewarding and worthwhile effort. My readership may not be large, but they're quality people. I know this because of Scott from Wisconsin, who lurks but doesn't comment. He's taught me all about quality people.

I guess it's time to stop referring to my blog as "an experiment" and just view it is something that I'm doing.

14 Comments:

At 12:09, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dr. T -- Whew! THANKS, we too are BIG fans of you and your work, AND your trips, and your pictures, and now, maybe, your pickles. I STILL say we have to do a one-time, at least, pickle swap....to compare how our batches turned out. Thanks for educating, entertaining, and being a new friend in this crazy tiny little moment of life!

 
At 15:49, Blogger robin andrea said...

I remember how we found Wayne over at Niches, and then there was Thingfish and all of those fantastic naturalist bloggers, and bloggers with families, and political blogs. Our lives have been changed and incredibly enriched by this. It's like finding pieces of precious sanity scattered throughout the world, and you are one of them for us. Congratulations on your one year.

 
At 16:45, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm glad you kept up the experiment. I hope you stick around a long, long time. You give me hope for a better world (and I don't just me ecologically).

 
At 18:36, Blogger Jyoti said...

Congratulations on the first blog year!!!

I'm the strange one out here, that I hardly know this blog, but I've seen enough of your wonderful work, to start a photoblog on it. In fact it was only 5 months back, in April, 2007 that I firt went to the Butterfly Haven and I liked it so much that since then I have been visiting it twice a month ... and have taken so many pictures that I thought about a photoblog about it ...

I will be very glad if I am able to do some justice to your amazing work at the Haven. Thanks for all the help in identifying many images and I would request you to do so, when I post more pictures.

It's really nice, that through this blog, I get a glimpse of the person behind such a fantastic work ...

 
At 20:00, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Blogversary!!

 
At 01:56, Blogger rodger said...

Happy Blogiversary Doug!!

I'm honored by your kind words and must say that you too have inspired me with your cheese and ice cream blogs as well as your butterfly and fen posts.

You are doing great work and your blogging enlightens and inspires me as it obviously does others.

You, my friend, are on my short list of bloggers I hope to meet and that will happen soon.

And...just to make this a little more interesting...your anniversary falls on our anniversary. Mark and I are celebrating 18 years together today so we now have another connection, and shouldn't have any trouble remembering your future anniversaries.

Cheers!!!

 
At 20:38, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Good on you, Doug. Thanks 1,000,000 for the mention in your piece - and on a special occasion no less.

Head on over to the site. I posted some insect pics BEFORE coming here. Serendipity?

And cheers.

 
At 06:16, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Blogiversary Doug,
I can't remember how I found your blog, but I do know it was from someones blogroll. I can say I'm glad I found it. It's nice for me to read about someone else doing restoration work. You do great work where you are. Here's to more success in the future; with Gossamer Tapestry and your professional work.

 
At 09:16, Blogger Jyoti said...

Now here's a request for help ... I have posted a few more butterfly images, could you please help me out with the names.

 
At 12:21, Blogger Doug Taron said...

To all, thank you for your kind words and congratulations.

Mark and Rodger - Happy Anniversary! Yes, or course we can do a picke swap once they are ready. You may get the short end of the stick. We know yours will turn out well. Mine are still an unknown quantity. And Rodger, you guys are also on my short list of bloggers I'd like to meet. As fate would have it, we first met online just before a prolonged absense on my part from the Pacific Northwest.

Robin- Thanks. Sanity is in short supply these days. Thanks for being a source for some for me, as well.

Pablo- Thanks for the shoutout on your blog this morning.

jyoti- *blush* How can I possibly respond to such effusive compliments? Additional butterfly ID's just uploaded to your comments. [shameless plug]I'm delighted that you are coming to the Museum on such a regular basis. Are you a member? For somebody coming with that frequency the membership would very rapidly pay for itself in free admissions [/shameless plug]

TF23- Great skipper pix on your blog this morning

RCW- Thanks. I also enjoy the in-common nature of some of our experiences. I believe that I found you over at Pure Florida. FC guessed that your initials stood for Red-cockeaded Woodpecker and I remember thinking "Hmm...I'll have to check that guy's blog out."

 
At 12:29, Blogger burning silo said...

Happy belated blogiversary, Doug! As everyone has stated above, you're doing so much great conservation work with the butterflies, and just all kind of interesting things in general. It's always enjoyable to drop by here to read about nature, cheesemaking, field work, or whatever. Keep on keeping on!

 
At 23:18, Blogger Ur-spo said...

i just got back on line!
congratulations indeed!
I am happy to have inspired something in return for all you have inspired for me.
but i want to point out i have yet to receive my royalty cheque.

 
At 18:01, Blogger R.Powers said...

Congrats Doug!
It's a fascinating tale of restoration that you weave.

 
At 12:49, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm glad you're part of the blogosphere! We should have a bug bloggers party at the ESA meeting :)

(of course, then my cover would be busted....
hmmm. Plausible deniability is a good thing :)

 

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