robberflies are one of my favorite summer insects. they are just designed to be killing machines, their heads with their large compound eyes moving around, tracking flying prey with a cool and calculating precision. that piercing mouthpart of theirs just says "hey, we don't eat plants!" another great thing about them is when they're in stalking mode, they make great subjects because they will remain motionless and let you approach them without flying away. so it brings much joy to my insect phototaking sessions knowing that these badasses of the insect kingdom have once again returned!
going home today i noticed the motorcycle was tilted at a greater angle than i remembered parking it this morning. when i went to put the kickstand up, i noticed it had actually sunked into the asphalt because the hot weather had soften the ground. i heard about this kind of thing happening but this was my first time experiencing it. it sort of makes sense, 300 lbs. of force concentrated on that point where the kickstand touches the parking lot. if my bike was heavier, chances are the kickstand would've completely tore through the asphalt, toppling the motorcycle in the process! next time i have to to remember to use some sort of kickstand pad to distribute the weight of the bike.