The brown beetle

I found this beetle on my gardening shoe. I tried to make it stay on some colorful paper for a better shot. I zoomed it and I used the macro and the super macro settings. I have to learn to hold my camera very very still when doing these macros. I took the beetle outside to the patio table and finally to the deck from where I let it go, unharmed, but probably quite tired. It had a terrible time getting upright again when I would flip it on its back to slow it down a bit. It was not very fast, though. I think it was an old beetle. It has very long antenna and a black spot on either side, midway down its back part. It was about and inch, inch and a quarter long.

Yesterday I mowed the lawn and dumped the clippings on the garden. It is very hot. We are having a heat wave. It is suppose to last about a week. It was up to 28 yesterday, and as I type this the thermometer sits at 34 celcius. Its not too bad in the house though. We have curtains closed and fans running. That skylight sure lets in a lot of hot.