Milestones... err Foot Stones?

Yesterday was the release of our Halloween video.  In the first day we got over a hundred views and Primitive Tim has over a hundred subscribers with six thousand views.  I wasn't sure how it was going to be or if anyone would even like it.  A few people told me they liked it though so that was encouraging!

Another milestone I hit today was my static breath hold record.  I beat my old record by thirty seconds at four minutes.  I feel like every time I beat my record I feel like I could have held it for a little longer.  In the back of my mind I'm thinking that I could have gotten another fifteen seconds or maybe thirty before I passed out.  Anyway, I need to keep the rust off over the Winter so when next Summer comes I'll be even better at free diving.  Free diving doesn't do much for physical fitness rather it strengthens the mind.

 

Halloween!!!

I've never really been into Halloween much and I can't even remember dressing up for Halloween as a kid but this year I have had a ton of fun with it.  You'll notice there's a video at the bottom of this post.  Go watch it on Youtube in HD!  This is the Primitive Tim Halloween episode and I had a blast filming and acting and blowing things up.  Daniel (music guy) plays the zombie and I was surprised at how convincing he was.  I didn't have to act like I was scared, there was a part of me that was convinced that he wanted to eat my brains.  Haha, that's Daniel for you!

Anyway I hope y'all enjoy this short film at least as much as I did while making it.

Fun Footage Friday 11~ Rough Green Snake

Beauty in nature is something that I see everywhere!  There are things like waterfalls and the changing of the leaves in the Fall that we can all agree are beautiful but I see a similar beauty every time I step foot into nature, which is often.  While the ancient live oaks and cypress trees are awe inspiring the greatest beauty I see are in the wild animals.  When I can observe them in nature doing what they normally do it really gets me excited.

So this rough green snake was found crossing a path so I tossed it in a pokeweed bush and let it crawl.  The first thing that struck me was the contrast between the purple branches of the bush and the green of the snake.  Purple and green are on opposite sides of the color wheel so they tend to have an appealing contrast.

The next thing that struck me was the movement of the animal.  It was mimicking the wind as it moved.  I thought this was an incredible behavior!  I stepped back from the camera and let it slither out of the frame and it was hardly noticeable at all.  Not only was its color helping it to stay camouflaged but also its movement.  The little snake had a look on its face as if it knew what it was doing.  I'd call this guy a pro green snake!

Music

I have to brag for a moment here.  I have a friend that I have known since the day I was born.  I'm four days older than him and he has no idea how talented he is.  His talent that I am most impressed with is his musical ability.  He writes, records, and performs all the music you hear in Primitive Tim videos. 

He's a talented musician, that's great!  On top of that he comes over and looks at footage I've edited out and creates music specifically for those scenes!  This is where my mind gets blown.  I'll be sitting at the computer and I get a text from him telling me that I have a new email.  This means he's sent me a song or ten.  Every single time it fits perfectly into the scene that he has written it for.

On top of all that, he is doing this for free until we start making real money.  He is the single biggest investor after me.  This shows that he believes in me and Primitive Tim and that kind of support means more than anything in the world.

Here is a shot of the artist performing on his Youtube channel.  Go listen to his videos, I am!

An Eventful Weekend

Haha, this weekend was awesome!  I did several things that I had never done before and never thought I would do.

The first thing was filming some falconry.  I met a friend that does falconry and he has a beautiful red tail hawk that he flies.  Being so close and watching it swoop and fly was incredible.  These really are powerful birds.

The second thing did was processing a deer hide for the first time ever.  I don't think it went so well but I'll try to make some moccasins from it anyway.  Processing hides isn't easy and only using stone tools was an added challenge.  I think I need to practice with a few more gift hides.  I'm sure I'll get it eventually!

In honor of Halloween I'm producing a zombie video.  Basically it's a skit showing how I might react to a zombie apocalypse.  Of course it's not totally primitive but by the end I get pretty primitive as the world around me shuts down.  This is meant to be a fun video and not necessarily a how-to... cause why would I make a how-to of surviving something that can never happen.... or can it???  I have a friend that is familiar with a very stable type of explosive so I asked him if we could get a shot of a pumpkin exploding.  That was a lot of fun and nobody called the cops on us so I'd say everything turned out as planned.

The last thing I filmed was a how to skin a snake video.  I had found a big water moccasin dead on the road Saturday night so I picked it up and brought it home.  I wanted there to be a how-to on this that isn't done by some redneck that hates snakes and is encouraging people to kill them all.  Instead when that young redneck searches for a video on how to skin a snake he finds me and actually learns something about snakes as well as how to skin it.  I'm not really sure what I'll do with the skin but I might put on the handle of a bow.  I think that would be cool.

Fun Footage Friday 10

Every Friday I'm going to try to write about the experience behind the footage of my Fun Footage Fridays.  If you didn't know, every week I post a short video on youtube of some of my favorite footage I've recently recorded. 

This week's footage is a little different as it doesn't show any animals (besides Ron) and I got the chance to go flying.  Ron is one of my bosses and has an ultra-light.  More importantly, he is a generous man and is willing to take me flying whenever the weather cooperates.  A few weeks ago we lifted off from Dunn Airport just as the sun was coming up.  It's incredible being up a thousand feet with nothing but the roaring sound of the motor a few inches behind me.By incredible I mean super freaking scary!

Once in the air we headed east toward the sunrise but due to our proximity to Kennedy Space Center we were limited on how far east we could go.  We made a swooping turn and headed West to the St. Johns River floodplain.  Ron doesn't seem like it but he's a bit of a daredevil and took us skimming right through the tall grass.  I kept expecting a large buck to raise its head out of the grass only to have his rack get hooked on our landing gear. We had to clean the weeds out of the landing gear upon our return.  No joke the landing gear was hitting the weeds.  I was too focused on filming to be scared though... otherwise I would messed my pants.
I think my favorite part of that flight was the fog.  The forests and floodplain were blanketed with a thin layer of fog.  A big thanks to Ron for providing the means to capture this footage for this video!

The Importance of Connections

This is an area that I am continually blessed with.  I feel like I have some of the most amazing connections.  I began making connections before Primitive Tim was even an idea.  The following paragraphs are of how these connections were made and with who.  However, having known these people I feel like they are much more than a connection as there is a personal level as well.

The first person I met is an incredible guy.  I really look up to him a lot.  His name is David Moynahan and he is a professional wildlife photographer.  I met him at Cassidy Spring on the Wacissa River.  We started chatting as he was playing with his new underwater camera and seeing that I was comfortable underwater he wanted me to dive up through a chimney in the spring and take my picture.  I was honored to be the subject.  After further chatting he gave me his card and we became facebook friends.  We have hung out a few times since.  He is always helpful to me when I bounce ideas off of him.

The most influential man is of course Brian Barczyk.  He is the man that really inspired me to start up Primitive Tim.  I've met him twice in person and have had a few phone conversations.  He is one of the most encouraging people I have ever met!  When I'm doing some particularly interesting filming I'll text him and let him know and he is always extremely enthusiastic.  He is the guy that I am currently filming a wildlife mini-series for his new channel.  You can expect that around the end of the year.  So I need to get my rear in gear with filming and editing. lol

The most recent connection is a falconer.  He hunts with a red-tail hawk for small game.  This is an ancient way of hunting and has got to be one of the most incredible things to experience.  I'm planning on filming his bird this week.  The goal is to get his hawk catching prey on film for a birds of prey video. 


Photo by David Moynahan of me swimming through underwater chimney.

Handling Hot Snakes

This is a topic that generally produces some intense debate among herpers.  Before you read on, click on that word that just made you think, "WHAT???"  These are people that are passionate about reptiles and some of the nicest folks you'll come across.  Venomous snakes tend to be some of the more esteemed finds for us and some of us like to handle them and others are totally against it.  There are basically two sides.  One side says why take the unnecessary risk and the other says it's a lot of fun and not that hard to get away with. 

For me personally, I don't really think it's fair to catch a venomous snake just for the rush and it is quite a rush!  I'm not really into bothering critters when it's not necessary.  On the other hand if a hot snake is sitting in the road and won't budge when I try to chase it away I may do some quick handling.  Also, when I'm filming I might come across a venomous snake that won't sit still so showing the world this snake and promoting its well being to the world I would consider justifiable handling.  However, I would never want to encourage anyone else to do the same and this is where I find myself in a gray area, where I'm unsure of the ethics.  Actions speak louder than words and no matter how loud I say, "Don't do this!" It will look fun to someone and they'll want to try it. 

So ideally when I highlight a venomous species I will try my best to find it in a place where it is still and I can get in the frame with it and tell you about what a cool snake it is and that we shouldn't kill it.  We are responsible for how we treat and manage our earth so I want to be a good example of that.

This is the first venomous snake I ever caught - Nose Horned Viper (Vipera ammodytes)
For the record it was released back into the wild after photos were taken

Mosquito Immunity

Disclaimer: What I'm about to say is my best guess based on my experiences and some of it is based on articles I've read.  Basically, don't take this as fact, rather if you read something that doesn't sound quite right then go look it up.

Anyway, the method mosquitoes use to suck blood is by injecting an anti-coagulant and sticking their flexible "straw" into the the skin and wiggling it around until it hits a blood vessel and then it begins to suck up the thinned blood.  Now it's the anti-coagulant that gives you that itchy bump that you notice later.  However, after enough exposure you become immune.  Now, I still get bit and it hurts but the next day I have no bumps or itches.  It's rather nice being able to only suffer briefly.

This immunity is only worth anything if you have a safe haven where you can have some relief in nature.   Now this could be a smokey shelter or an open field but the point is you get away from nature's most annoying creature.   

Unfortunately, mosquitoes are a fact of life for animals in the wilderness and I must understand how to cope with them as nature will only leave us small windows of bliss with no annoyances.

The Mind Vs. Mosquitoes

Being outside so much for work and for play I have a lot of mosquitoes trying to sip my blood.  Those thirsty female mosquitoes seem to not be able to get enough of my blood.  I can't blame them though, they're just trying to gain access to a source of protein so they can reproduce.  After all, they're just taking some and leaving the rest of me intact right?  As a man I feel entitled to my own blood and nobody else should have it without my permission.  Mind you, deet is not an option for me.

On a jaunt out into the woods in search of pygmy rattlesnakes I spent a couple hours in mosquito infested woods that bordered a floodplain.  Having spent so much time around mosquitoes I don't really freak out when I get bit... at all.  Rather I swat the offender and move on.  That's the thing.  When walking through the woods I get mosquitoes biting pretty much one at a time but when I stop they swarm to the areas of my body that are most exposed.  Ankles, shoulders, neck and lower back seem to be their favorites places if they can get there.  Now, I can get a hundred mosquito bites and survive and it's not a big deal.  The downfall of that is the pain and the dreadfully annoying buzz they make.  When a mosquito "bites" it injects an anticoagulant to thin your blood and cause it not to clot so they can sip it like a cold margarita.  This is what forms the bump that itches later on.

Getting bit by mosquitoes is a fact of life in the wilderness and we should accept it to some degree but if you train your mind against them, you can be a lot more comfortable among the mosquitoes.  I think the most helpful thing for me is to be focusing on something else.  If I'm not focusing I'll be much more alert to those tiny vampires and  the annoyance will only build until panic sets in.  This is not an option for me because I'm usually holding a very expensive camera and I'm barefoot.  Rushing like that through the woods would be very bad on many levels.  So, I focus on filming and swat at the mosquitoes when I can.  Usually I'll let several land then brush them all off in one shot.

There are a few plants that are said to have insect repellent properties but that is a bit low on the "to experiment with list."  Two that I know of are beauty berry and dog fennel, both of which, I have ample access to.  So next time your in the woods getting harassed by mosquitoes try to focus

Production

This weekend was really productive.  It feels so good to be productive.  It's like a high when I'm producing good stuff.  Mind you, my weekend started on Thursday and went through Sunday because a professor cancelled class.  Anyway, I had plenty of time and I really wanted to take advantage of that time.

Things produced (chronologically):  Got awesome footage of a pygmy rattlesnake, finished a bow, finished editing three videos, and filmed a variety of other subjects.  I'd say these were all very rewarding accomplishments but the most rewarding is when I get a video edited out.  It's so nice to see all the time spent filming condensed into one video that shows off some really awesome creatures.  Right now the video subjects are tree frogs, freshwater turtles, island lizards, and spiders.  I'm currently working on gopher tortoises, alligators, freshwater fish, rhesus macaques (monkeys), and a few others.

So I'll continue to work hard and if y'all have any ideas for me feel free to leave me a comment!


Oh and I accomplished harassing the neighbor's dog by getting chased then jumping the fence.  Poor pup couldn't jump the fence :) and the bipedal wins again!

My Initiation into the World of Wildlife

My interest in wildlife spiked with the introduction of snakes by Steve Irwin.  I saw him on TV handling highly venomous and aggressive snakes, then they would calm down and he would handle them with great gentleness.  This had my twelve year old mind all perplexed.  I saw an entirely new side to snakes that no one had ever taught me.  Snakes didn't want to attack me, they wanted simply escape from me.  I decided that I was going to catch the next non venomous snake I could find.  After all, the guy on TV did it!  I walked out the back door of my porch and a black racer and I surprised each other.  This was my chance to really get experience what a snake is really like.  I cornered it by the chimney and hesitated to grab it.  I just had to go for it though.  My first attempt was greeted with quick bite to the hand.  Obviously I had done something wrong.  I gave  it two more shots and was rewarded with the same reaction as the first attempt.  I instructed my older brother to keep an eye on it and I fetched my gardening gloves.  Now I was prepared!  I went for the grab and all that poor snake could do was chew into the leather and I didn't feel a thing.  I picked it up and sure enough it calmed down.  This is where the interest in snakes really began.  I read every related piece of literature and spent countless hours online reading about reptiles.  This obsession veered out into lizards, turtles, crocodilians, and eventually pretty much every type of creature on earth.  I've realized that all the animals and plants are interdependent and just as interesting as any other creature.

Me with my first snake!

Primitive Persistence

I have always viewed persistence as a gamble.  If I persist it may or may not pay off.  Because of this lack of faith in myself I've given myself the excuse that it's better to just cut my losses and do something else.  I'm really just a lazy butt
Today some plans changed and I found myself in the middle of a forest that borders the St. Johns floodplain.  I was being swarmed with mosquitoes and it was getting hot and everything was pretty much as miserable as it could get.  My mind was not worried about the discomfort though, I was totally focused on one thing.  I was out in the woods looking for pygmy rattlesnakes.  I wanted to find one in an ambush position, ready to strike and envenomate any small creature that might cross within striking range.  Normally they're coiled up at the base of a tree or somewhere really well camouflaged. JK people always just cruise them up on roads. lol

The one I found totally took me by surprise!  It was loosely coiled in a small bush right above a fallen palm tree trunk.  I had wanted to find one up off the ground ever since I had heard of their semi-arboreal habits.  As is their fashion, this one just sat there and let me film all around from every angle.  It was totally calm and I got to spend a lot of time filming it.

Now I see persistence as an investment.  You invest that time or misery until it pays off because it will pay off.  What's great about the payoff, is when it inspires you to be persistent that much more the next time you're after something.  Today was a good day!

Don't Believe in Boredom

I hear people say things like, "There's nothing to do in this town" or "Ugh, I wish I didn't live somewhere so boring."  I hear it all the time and it drives me nuts.  I don't believe in boring places, only boring people.  If you find yourself bored often I don't mean to insult you but I want to show you that there is so much out there to discover.  If you just get your rear off the couch!

There is always something to do.  Just today after studying with a classmate he disappointingly expressed to me that he felt like Florida was kind of boring.  Immediately I started showing him things in Florida that were incredible!  I showed him my video of monkeys at silver river, I told him about the bio-luminescent waters of the east coast's lagoons, and about some of our natural springs that you can free dive in.  You may have noticed a common theme here that it all has to do with nature.  Sorry, that's all I have to offer for entertainment.  Anyway, my friend was very surprised that all these things were relatively close to Orlando.  He was even interested in coming on one of my kayak tours!  Haha! I have one brain-washed!

The important thing is to always explore.  The unknown is always fascinating to me and there are so many new things out there to explore.  Every new tree I climb can be a new thrill or a new patch of woods that I explore or a new piece of wood I make a bow from or... do you get the idea?  If you're into music, don't just go to concerts of people you have heard of.  Go to a concert by someone you've never heard of.  They may put on a rockin' show or they might suck but you can still have fun because you are the only one that can choose to enjoy something or not to enjoy it!  I would never blow my money on a concert though

Mindset has everything to do with this so keep an open, optimistic, fun, and adventurous mindset and you will NEVER get bored!   I like seriously don't get bored :) ever

I try new things all the time and some don't work out so well but I was able to get the picture below because I went out of my comfort zone and tried something new.... and it turned out awesome!
I know the picture of the frog is freakin' awesome!