Lizard

Editor's note: An unexpected stowaway crosses the country with a family on the move.By Kate AllenIt all started when my family and I were moving to California.We lived in Kansas. There were boxes stacked everywhere, when my Mom said, "We better go see Grams before we move so far away."Of course, Grams was delighted to have us visit. Especially me -- we love to take long walks on the beach. After one of these walks Grams and I sat down in her yard. Feeling nice and cozy, we took off our shoes and socks and counted our hundreds of shells.

The Charlotte Hounds of Major League Lacrosse announced a pair of trades Friday through which the team will acquire attackman Ryan Young (Maryland) in addition to two 2014 Collegiate Draft picks. The first part of the deal sends midfielder Stephen Berger (Washington College, Mount St. Joseph) to the New York Lizards in exchange for Young, midfielder Colin Briggs and a 2014 third-round Collegiate Draft Pick. The Hounds then trade Briggs to the Boston Cannons in exchange for a 2014 second-round Collegiate Draft Pick.

For 40 years, the Knox family has relied on prize goldfish to entice people to drop a few coins, even dollars, on their midway ball-toss game. At the Howard County Fair this week, the fish gave way to more exotic prizes."

The defending Major League Lacrosse champion Chesapeake Bayhawks will travel to the Rochester Rattlers on April 27 to open their 14-game schedule, the team announced today. The Bayhawks return for their fifth summer at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis with their home opener on Saturday, May 4 against the New York Lizards (previously known as the Long Island Lizards). The home opener will be highlighted by a tailgate celebration and postgame fireworks, as well as more events to be announced. The 2013 MLL regular season will consist of seven home games and seven away games.

Today's fashion riddle: What's long and green and looks like a lizard?Liz Shively in one of her iguana-inspired outfits.Not only does she love her pet iguanas Oscar, PeeWee and Willy; she enjoys dressing like them.Ms. Shively's affection for the green creatures started several years ago during a vacation in Mexico. She returned and bought her husband one as a gift. Friends who learned of her interest began giving her clothing and accessories emblazoned with lizards.Ms. Shively, who is the executive director of ReVisions Foundation Inc., a local group that supports mentally ill adults, does take some razzing for occasionally dressing like a scaly green iguana.

THE ONLY TIME I got really scared was when the mob surrounded me and began beating on my head. Fortunately, it was not my usual head: It was the head of a giant lizard.I was wearing the giant-lizard head because -- and this is why people who value their dignity should avoid journalism -- I thought it would be fun to write about being a sports-team mascot and engaging in comical high jinks with the crowd. The mascot that I wound up being is named "P.K.," which stands for "Penalty Kick." P.K., a seven-foot green lizard, is the mascot for the Miami Fusion, a professional soccer team of which I'm a big fan.I like soccer because there's a lot of action and drama.

In the past two weeks, a Towson couple found two exotic lizards in their back yard -- one dead, one alive; one about 6 feet long, the other about 3 feet. The smaller one apparently was killed by dogs. The larger one vanished into adjoining woods. Strange stuff. I guess you're wondering what gives here.Anthony Wisnieski, reptile curator for the Baltimore Zoo, examined the dead animal and determined that it was an Asian water monitor, a carnivorous, tree-climbing lizard closely related to the iguanas.

It comes from the tropics, has a long tail, likes water, dines on rats and has a mean disposition. And it wandered up a street near Patterson Park yesterday afternoon.The cops first thought it was a Komodo dragon. But the experts at the Baltimore Zoo labeled it an Ornate Nile Monitor Lizard. It's a distinction that doesn't matter much to Officer Drew Dorbert, who got a nasty bite trying to bag the 3-foot-long, 7-pound reptile in a pillowcase."The last thing you want is a big animal with a bad attitude," said Rick Krumrine, manager of the Green Iguana pet store in Finksburg, which sells the animal for $50.Just how the lizard -- a relative of the Komodo that can grow to 7 feet long -- got to the 100 block of N. Glover St. is a mystery.

I REGULARLY PROMISE people that I will send them snapshots. Many photos are promised, few are delivered. But this time I think I had better keep my word or I could end up with a forked tongue. I promised a lady I would send her a photograph of a lizard.The lady had been talking to the lizard. The lizard appeared to be listening. A friend of mine suggested the reason the two were conversing might be because the lizard was the lady's husband. One day he got on the bad side of her, and next thing he knew was living under a rock.

The cute little lizard that ventured into the media room the other day at Fort Lauderdale Stadium didn't save anybody a penny on car insurance, but it did climb up the pants leg of Sun sportswriter Roch Kubatko and cause quite a stir. The rambunctious reptile was quickly captured and turned loose outside, so no animals were harmed during the production of Roch Around the Clock.

Et cetera Bayhawks can't hold lead, lose on road to Lizards, 14-11 Third-year midfielder Ben Hunt scored four goals, but it wasn't enough as the Chesapeake Bayhawks lost to the Long Island Lizards, 14-11, on Thursday night in Hempstead, N.Y. Attackman Danny Glading totaled two goals and an assist for Chesapeake (3-2), which fell out of a tie for first place in Major League Lacrosse. Attackman Ben Rubeor and midfielder Kyle Dixon had two assists apiece for the Bayhawks, who led 5-4 after the first period.

I was invited to visit a homeowner's lawn that was emerald green except for large patches of dead grass caused by misuse of a herbicide. The homeowner took full responsibility for causing what happened to the lawn, but I couldn't resist suggesting that the damage may also have been done by a "basilisk. " "What's a basilisk?" he asked. A basilisk, I explained, is a foot-long, slithering, serpent-like creature that ancient Romans believed could kill a person with a single bite.

Ever wonder which animals get the most love at the annual Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show? Poison dart frogs, corn snakes and lizards are typically the most popular, according to Tom Hoen, the event's founder. These particular creatures are sought after because they're in vogue at the moment — such as the poison dart frog — or they come in a wide variety of colors, such as the corn snake or leopard gecko. Despite the name, poison dart frogs aren't poisonous, so long as they're fed the proper diet, Hoen said.

Major League Lacrosse Bayhawks upset Cannons, face Lizards in today's final Midfielder Ben Hunt scored four first-half points to help the Chesapeake Bayhawks build a seven-point halftime lead en route to a 13-9 upset of the top-seeded Boston Cannons in the Major Lacrosse League semifinals Saturday in Annapolis. The fourth-seeded Bayhawks (7-6) will play in today's title game at 1 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against the third-seeded Long Island Lizards, who got past the second-seeded Denver Outlaws, 16-12.

Sue Muller carefully scraped the dry dirt from a spot along Columbia's Lake Elkhorn walking path, using a small garden trowel and a water-filled spray bottle to soften the earth until she saw the white of turtle eggs peeking through. The Howard County naturalist kept at it, slowly carving out the rectangular hole painstakingly dug two weeks before by a ridge-backed turtle of a species normally found along the Mississippi River. Muller stopped for a time to invite passers-by Lucas Julian, 6, and his mother, Irene, of Clary's Forest to watch and learn, but then returned to her main task.

There's just something about the Oakland Raiders. They're 17-53 since 2004, and their motto is "Commitment to Excellence," which I'm pretty sure was on the short list when Baltimore came up with its "Get in on it!" tourism campaign a few years ago. But if it's any consolation, owner Al Davis was on the short list for that Geico campaign until they found a cuter lizard. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

There's just something about the Oakland Raiders. They're 17-53 since 2004, and their motto is "Commitment to Excellence," which I'm pretty sure was on the short list when Baltimore came up with its "Get in on it!" tourism campaign a few years ago. But if it's any consolation, owner Al Davis was on the short list for that Geico campaign until they found a cuter lizard. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

In a cultured moment, the Lizard Man of Lee County met a Development Director of Baltimore County. It happened at Friday's opening of the American Visionary Art Museum at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It happened because it was meant to be:Courtney McKeldin: "Isn't he amazing?"Lizard Man: Says nothing, remains nailed to museum wall, flashing his wood-carved tongue and showing off his green toe-nails.Ms. McKeldin: "He's got a nice smile on his face -- for a lizard man."Lizard Man: Again says nothing, but what is he thinking?

I've been sprinkling a [fungus and insect control product] on my roses every three weeks at half-strength for 10 years. They still look bad! Much money, labor and time are lost when directions on the label are not followed. Your product should be diluted in water, then applied as a soil drench by pouring it on the roots every six weeks. Always apply at recommended strength, too. Cutting the strength (or increasing it) can injure plants or render the product ineffectual. I saw a shiny, lizard-type animal sunning itself on our deck.

The cute little lizard that ventured into the media room the other day at Fort Lauderdale Stadium didn't save anybody a penny on car insurance, but it did climb up the pants leg of Sun sportswriter Roch Kubatko and cause quite a stir. The rambunctious reptile was quickly captured and turned loose outside, so no animals were harmed during the production of Roch Around the Clock.