So! Last week JB and I went down to the Tampa to visit his parents and take in the sites (i.e. go thrifting, wander on the golf cart and be faux retirees for a week). I’d never been down south before and the terrain and wildlife blew my mind: specifically, Spanish moss, which was everywhere. Every non-palm tree was festooned with billowing nests of the stuff. It certainly sets a swampy, alligator with snapping jaws behind every willowy veil, Flannery O’Connor vibe, and I am now totally obsessed with it. I actually brought a big bag of moss back with me and I plan on hanging it in my apartment — perhaps from my new mantle. It’s ever so creepy fun!

Another highlight? We also saw the tiniest armadillo up close — like, six feet away. It was just toddling over the bulge of a golf green, minding its own business, while heading back to its ample hole in the side of the hill. The cuteness! Its skin was a mixture of snake scales and nature’s version of Medieval armor. Rat meets turtle meets snake! (It doesn’t sound appealing, but it really was.)

I can’t take credit for all of the photos above. The big tree that Jeff and I posed in front of is, in his words, “The ideal backdrop for a metal record cover photo.” I gotta agree! Click through to see all of the origin photos.