Annual Chromosome 18 Conference 2018 Part 1

Hey, everyone! I just got back from a trip to Baltimore for the annual Chromosome 18 conference. This blog post is a summary of what I did at the Chromosome 18p- conference this year. I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. In case you’re wondering, the links are Thomas’, Camilla’s, and Chromosome 18’s website.

Here are some similar blog posts: https://lilliandarnell.com/2018/06/15/my-adventure-to-surprise-part-1/ and https://lilliandarnell.com/2017/09/13/annual-chromosome-18p-conference-2017/. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

June 29th: 

We woke up early to get to the airport and through security. This time I went up the escalator with Camilla holding my hand since I was scared while Thomas went up the stairs.

We got on the airplane right on time. We saw a beautiful sunrise as we were flying up into the sky. The sunrise was amazing. We sat on the first plane for about an hour and watched clouds go by.

I only had apple juice and water for the first plane flight since the flight was quick and because I wasn’t hungry. I also played a few games on my phone and tablet as well and read a book. Once we landed at the McCarran International Airport which is in Las Vegas, we sat down for a couple of minutes before we pre-boarded the second and final plane flight.

That flight happened to be the longest flight ever. Anyway, on that flight, I had honey roasted cashews, Fritos® chips, and lightly salted peanuts (they stopped making the honey roasted peanuts).

I also had apple juice and water again on this flight. I played some games on my tablet and on my phone. I even read a chapter in the book I was reading. We sat on the plane for about 4 hours. Once we got closer to Baltimore, I started recording our landing in Baltimore.

Once we landed, Camilla only found one suitcase sadly. Around the same time, Camilla’s friend was here to drive us to the hotel. So Camilla discovered the other suitcase was held back in Colorado but it came in 2 hours later.

Camilla’s friend eventually went back to get the suitcase for us. We discovered that we were the first ones to arrive at the hotel so it was a little boring but I was able to keep myself busy.

I talked to Macy Miller (a close 18p- friend of mine) through Facebook Messenger. We were both very excited to see each other again in 2 days. I also texted Rebecca Parker (a close 18p- friend of mine) and Katie Baker (a close friend of mine) to let them know I was at the hotel.

Camilla ordered dinner from room service which was french fries for me. I was so tired that I fell asleep without cleaning off the bed of my stuff and without turning off the booklight.

A selfie of me on the airplane

Pretty sky.

Awesome sky.

Pretty sky.

Outstanding view!

Striking view!

Cool sky!

See part 2 here

My Adventure To Surprise Part 9

Hey, everyone! I went to Surprise, AZ for the end of May/beginning of June with my grandparents (also known as The Romano Duo). I would just like to share my adventure with you. By the way, some of the times aren’t accurate. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

June 4th, 2018:

I woke up around 8:00 am. I decided to make that day a relaxing day as well. So, I just played on my phones, ate meals, and colored in my giant coloring pad until my finger hurt. While I took a break, I sat outside and got to see an awesome sunset and a real hummingbird. I was able to get a few pictures (the hummingbird is now a guest visitor at the Romano Duo backyard)

Anyway, I got into to bed around 10:00 pm that night but I stayed up until 12:30 am that night.

June 5th, 2018:

I woke up at 9:00 am that day. Shortly after breakfast, I played on my phones and read. After lunch though, Patty and I went to the Surprise, AZ library (has a real name) to get me new books.

We were in and out in just 30 minutes which was crazy because I usually take 1 to 2 hours in libraries. Anyway once we got back, I colored some more. I managed to take a picture of a fully bloomed rose plant as well that day.

Around 8:30 pm, I sat outside to get fresh air. I also got more magical photos of the sunset. Again,  I got into bed around 10:00 am but played on my phone and read. Around 12:00 am, I went to sleep.

Me wearing a beautiful new shirt.

Sunset

Beautiful sunset

Beautiful clouds with trees

Gorgeous sky

Awesome sky with the sun shining

A camouflaged clock that shows the time and temperature

Magnificent sky!

Unique sky!

Beautiful rose

See part 10 here

Learn About Christmas

Gallery

Hello, everyone! You might want to know more about Christmas. Thank you for visiting my blog! Christmas is my favorite holiday. In Argentina, the weather is almost always warm at Christmas. Preparations for Christmas begin very early in December and … Continue reading

Books I Recommend: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins

Hey there! This is the 25th book recommendation list! Thanks so much!

1. Criss Cross by Lynne
Rae Perkins
2. Like the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry
3. Pearl the Cloud Fairy by Daisy Meadows
4. Crispin by Avi
5. Vacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope Osborne
6. A Good Day For Haunting by Louise Arnold
7. Ereth’s Birthday by Avi
8. Becca at Sea by Deirdre Baker
9. TheCameo Necklace by Evelyn Coleman
10. Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great by Judy Blume
11. Poppy and Ereth by Avi
12. Sophia’s War by Avi
13. Angel Secrets by Miriam Chaikin
14. The Glass Mountain by Jan Pienkowski
15. Stars Beneath Your Bed by April Pulley Sayre
16. Home by Carson Ellis
17. Earth by Elaine Landau
18. Homegrown House by Janet S. Wong
19. The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children’s Poems by Donald Hall
20. From Sea to Shining Sea by Gertrude Chandler Warner
21. Three Adventures of the Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
22. The Aldens of Fair Meadow Farm by Patricia MacLachlan
23. Saving Sky by Diane Stanley
24. 13 Gifts Wendy Mass
25. Fawn and the Prankster by Disney
26. The Ghost in the First Row by Gertrude Chandler Warner
27. Twister on Tuesday by Mary Pope Osborne
28. In the Garbage by J.C. Greenberg

(amazon affiliate links)

Mountain Blue Birds

Hi there! My mother, Camilla suggested that I write a series of posts about birds on my blog since I’ve been talking about them and learning about them. Please let me know if you have any bird books, CDs, or a website you’d recommend! Here is the part about Mountain Blue Birds.

Mountain Bluebirds are moderately small thrushes with round heads and straight, thin bills. Compared with other bluebirds they are slender and long-winged, with a long tail. Male Mountain Bluebirds are sky-blue, a little bit darker on the wings and the tail and a little bit paler on the belly, with white up under the tail. Females are pretty much gray-brown with tints of pale blue in the wings and the tail.

They occasionally show orange-brown throughout the chest. Mountain Bluebirds’ bills are completely black. Younger Mountain Bluebirds have fewer spots than the other young of little bluebirds. Unlike other bluebird species, Mountain Bluebirds often hover while foraging; they also pounce on their insect prey from an higher perch.

In the winter, the species often occur in large flocks wandering the landscape eating on berries, particularly some of those junipers. Mountain Bluebirds are mostly common in the West’s wide-open spaces, particularly at middle and higher elevations like mountains. They breed in native habitats such as prairie, sagebrush steppe, and even alpine tundra; anywhere with open country with at least a few trees that can provide nest cavities. They also readily take to human-altered habitats, often nesting in bluebird boxes and foraging in pastures.

The powder-blue male Mountain Bluebird is among the most beautiful birds of the West. Living in more open terrain than the other two bluebirds, this species may nest in holes in cliffs or dirt banks when tree hollows are not available. It often seeks its food by hovering low over the grass in open fields. They lay 5 to 6 eggs, sometimes 4 to 8 eggs.

Pale blue, unmarked (occasionally white) are their colors. Incubation is by female for about 13 to 17 days. Young birds: Both parents feed nestlings. Young birds leave the nest about 17 to 23 days after hatching, and are protected by their parents for another 3 to 4 weeks.

They have 2 breeds each year. Mountain Bluebirds feed heavily on insects, including beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars, crickets, ants, bees, and others. They also eat some berries, including those of mistletoe, hackberry, and other plants. Berries are very important in their diet in the wintertime.

Sometimes interbreeds with the Eastern Bluebird where their ranges overlap. Nest: Apparently the female selects the site for the nest. The site is in a cavity, usually a natural hollow or old woodpecker hole in tree, or in a birdhouse. Sometimes nests in holes in dirt banks, crevices in cliffs or among rocks, holes in sides of buildings, old nests of other birds (such as Cliff Swallow or Dipper).

Nest in cavity (probably built by both genders) is a loose cup of weed stems, grass, twigs, rootlets, pine needles, and maybe even lined with animal hair or animal feathers. Mountain bluebirds migrate relatively late in the fall and early in the spring. Winter range varies from year to year, depending on the food supplies. Flocks sometimes wander east on the Great Plains, and lonely stray birds occasionally go as far as the Atlantic Coast.

The mountain bluebird is six to seven inches in length. The mountain bluebird breeds from east-central Alaska, southern Yukon and western Manitoba, south in the mountains to southern California, central and southeastern Nevada, northern and east-central Arizona, southern New Mexico and east to northeastern North Dakota, western South Dakota and central Oklahoma. In winters, the birds go from Oregon south to Baja California, Mexico and southern Texas, and east to eastern Kansas, western Oklahoma and central Texas. The males or females arrive at the breeding site first.

The mountain bluebird breeds in high mountain meadows with scattered trees and bushes and short grass. In winters, they live at lower elevations in plains and grasslands. The lovely mountain bluebird (Sialia arctcia) was made the official state bird of Idaho in 1931. The male mountain bluebird is a brilliant sky-blue, the female is gray with blue on her wings and tail.

The bluebird family is especially common in Idaho’s mountains. Idaho recognizes two bird symbols; the peregrine falcon is the official state raptor. The mountain bluebird is currently the state bird of Nevada. The Mountain Bluebird has a large range, estimated globally at 4,400,000 square kilometers.

Native to Canada, the United States, and Mexico, the mountain bluebirds prefer grassland, forest, and shrubland ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 5,200,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Mountain Bluebird is Least Concern. The Mountain Bluebird is most likely to be confused with other bluebirds.

Male Mountain Bluebirds lack any reddish coloration on their underparts unlike Eastern and Western Bluebirds. Females are more difficult to separate. Eastern Bluebirds have a brownish throat and white belly while Mountain Bluebirds have gray throats and bellies. Western Bluebirds are browner on the breast than Mountain Bluebirds and have thicker bills.

Male Mountain Bluebirds might be confused with other all blue birds like Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks but these birds have much thicker, conical bills.

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Sources I Used:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mountain_Bluebird/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/mountain-bluebird

https://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/mountainbluebird.htm

https://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/idaho/state-bird/mountain-bluebird

https://identify.whatbird.com/obj/581/overview/Mountain_Bluebird.aspx

https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/infocenter/i7680id.html

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/california_quail/id

https://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/californiaquail.htm

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/california-quail

https://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/rsgis2/search/Display.asp?FlNm=callcali

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Tree_Sparrow/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-tree-sparrow

https://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird/american_tree_sparrow

https://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Spizella_arborea/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Song_Sparrow/id

https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/song-sparrow

Books I Recommend: P.S. Longer Letter Later

Hi there! Please note that I made a title change. Here is the 10th book recommendation list.

1. P.S. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danzinger & Ann M. Martin
2. Winter Pony by Jean Slaughter Doty
3. Horrible Harry and the Dragon War by Susy Kline
4. Forever Amber Brown by Paula Danziger
5. Horrible Harry’s Secret by Susy Kline
6. The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Ronald Dahl
7. The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis by Barbara O’Conner
8. Red Berries White Clouds Blue Sky by Sandra Dallas
9. Mary Poppins and the House Next Door by P.L. Travers
10. Kirsten’s Promise by Janet Shaw
11. The Monster Mouse Mystery by Laura Lee Hope
12. Princess Posey and the Tiny Treasure by Stephanie Greene
13. Mary Poppins in the Park by P.L. Travers
14. How Tia Lola Ended Up Starting Over by Julia Alvarez

(amazon affiliate links above)