Skink: Mission Impossible!

The very good news is that the swimming areas are open at two of our favorite local state parks, Whipple Dam and Greenwood Furnace. So we decided to go for our first swim of the year! It was sunny and beautiful out, so we had lunch at Couch's and spent the afternoon at Whipple Dam.

We had a refreshing swim, and I spotted the tiniest turtle I've ever seen basking on the rope around the swimming area. We were walking back to the car, when we saw a lizard on the rocks nearby. It turned out to be a five-lined skink! It scampered straight up a stone wall, just like a scene from a Mission Impossible movie!

Of course, I went to get my camera, and I expected there to be no skinks when I came back for some photos. However, not only did I see the original skink, but I spotted a second one! You may see the second one in the extras. It may be an adult version of the same species, or it may be a broadhead skink; I'd be the first to admit that I'm no expert on skinks. But I do enjoy them!

The song: of course, it had to be . . . . the Mission Impossible theme. Here's a second, longer version, which includes scenes from the Tom Cruise movie series of the same title.