Aare, Mateys!

Okay, so this isn't going to be about pirates.  It does, however, involve a body of water on which you can sail a boat.

Aare (or Aar):  A river of central and N Switzerland flowing c. 295 km (183 mi) to the Rhine R.

I know, I know.  A river?  Boooooring.  You just shut your mouth.  This river is freaking gorgeous.  Really.  It rightfully attracts thousands of tourists each year who come to kayak, swim, and gape at how beautiful the river looks as it flows through the Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge, for those like me who aren't fluent in German).

The Aare is the longest river that is born and spent in Switzerland.  It originates from the Aaregletschers   (Aare Glaciers) in the Bernese Alps and flows into the Rhine River after passing through some picturesque Swiss landscapes.

Rivers don't really lead the most exciting lives, but I scrounged up a few nifty tidbits about the Aare:

-Albert Einstein lived for two years in the capitol city of Bern, which the Aare happens to run through.

-It's the longest river that is entirely located in Switzerland. (I know I already said that, but it's the Aare's biggest claim to fame.)

-The Aare is responsible for that lush, fertile soil that makes of the plains known as the "vegetable gardens of Switzerland."

Now, time for eye candy:

Click HERE to view this drawing in my Etsy shop!

A is for… A REALLY Long Time Since I Last Posted!

Almost fours years, to be specific.  Oops.

Back to the topic at hand…  We're still on the letter A, folks!  Today's creature is still the in the "aard" family of creatures that come before just about anything else in the English dictionary.

aardwolf:  A mammal (Proteles cristatus) native to southern and eastern Africa that resembles the hyena and feeds mainly on termites and insect larvae.

You're reading a blog that is basically an embellished dictionary, so you're probably smart enough to figure out from the previous post that the literal meaning of this critter's name is earth (dirt) wolf.  Oh, the creativity.

Cool critter traits:
Eats termites (which helps farmers!)
Giant ears
Furry stripes
Not on the endangered species list
Mohawk-sporting babies
MOHAWK BABIES!  (squee!)

The least cool things about the aardwolf:
Eats termites (gross!)
Stinky anal secretions (why it is also known as the civet wolf)
Pretends to be a hyena
Not very good in a fight (See stinky anal secretions)

I can't promise this blog will ever be updated again, but I'm far more likely to do it if you follow me and say nice things about what I post.

Here's a quick sketch of an aardwolf for you eyes to look at: