Silhouettes…

 

 

I saw a piece of the past today through my father’s eyes.  It touched me deeply and made me want to fix everyone’s pain. Life just isn’t fair sometimes no matter how much we wish it were.

Building Reserves…

 

 

 

 

 

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.”   Rachel Carson

 

Not out getting any new pictures right now so you may have seen some of these before.  But I thought they warranted repeating. 

Loving Life….

 

 

and reflecting on my many blessings. 

All went well during surgery. No signs of cancer.  The mass was a cyst and all he had to take was the appendix itself.  Hallelujah!  It did end up being more days in the hospital than I expected.  I’m sure my “advanced” years had a lot to do with it.  Although I was the spring chicken in the ward at the hospital.  The surgery was Wednesday and I got to come home Friday afternoon.  Home never looked so good.  I am just taking it easy and trying to finally get some good sleep to allow my body to heal itself.  Hospitals, sadly, are not good places to rest.  Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts and even the loan of a guardian angel or two.  

Simply being…

 

“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.”  G. K. Chesterton

Tomorrow is surgery day.  I’ll see you all on the other side of this little journey.  Hopefully, I’ll be back online by Friday. Blessings!

Blue Heron Flight 317…

 

coming in for a landing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were such beautiful birds.  So graceful and regal.  I have several other shots that I’ll share over the next few days.  But what a wonderful time Tracy, Kathy and I had spending time with these special birds.     

Wearing of the Green….

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!  

Youth is sometimes…

 

not wasted on the young.  These young people were having lots of fun at the Tres Rios festival.

This young lady was helping out at the pony ride.  Sadly, I know the pony’s name is Strawberry, but I didn’t ask the girl’s name.

 

These two were learning all about erosion and water runoff.

 

This brother and sister were learning about following a trail and placing cairns to mark the way for those that come after them.

 

All kinds of youngsters were fishing in this little “pond”.   It was strictly a catch and release program…so the next little one could catch a fish too.  :)  They were catching small Blue Gills.

It was a pleasure to see so many little ones out learning and exploring and enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been having.  Although, I’m hoping for rain this weekend.

My Mission, should I decide to accept…

 

is to get to the other side of the fence.  That’s where everything we wanted to see was flying.

 

This is a Great Blue Heron and they are nesting in some trees in the area. 

I met a couple of nice guys and they were happy to talk about the wetlands and plans for the future.  They both seemed very proud of what they were involved in doing and eager to share information.  But to see what I want to see, I need to get on the other side of this fence.  I have a plan…just like my mom always said when I went to a new school - “make friends and have fun”. That’s my plan.

By the way, did you know that trespassing at the wetlands is a Class 6 Felony and that I may not have been able to buy our way out of that one even though I assured Tracy I would.  Who knew??  But luckily we got Mike’s (one of the nice guys) blessing and the information we need to have the required permit for next time.  That’s me and Tracy…living on the edge. Okay, maybe I’m living on the edge and dragging Tracy along with me.  :) 

Every Dead Thing…

 

Is not ugly.

 

Tracy and I found the Tres Rios Wetlands today.  There was one side trail we went down that was sadly neglected.

 

But it did have a beauty all it’s own.  This is the area where the original two ponds are.  Since expansion, this area doesn’t get the attention it needs.

 

It had an eeriness that was mystical in a way. And we walked through it quietly like we were in a church.

 

This is what I call a ghost tree.  

We met some nice people and learned quite a bit about the City of Phoenix’s plans to expand and improve the wetlands area.  I’ll share more photos of the area soon. 

The title “Every Dead Thing” is from one of my favorite authors, John Connolly.

No arrests were made…

 

Tracy and I had a great time today.  We managed to avoid any trouble with the “authorities” on any level.  :) 

We went to Estrella Mountain Park to the Tres Rios Nature and Earth Festival.  It is in support of Tres Rios Wetlands that I have been thinking about visiting lately.  Now that we have the correct information, we’ll definitely be making this a trip in the next few days.  I was hoping today’s trip would supply us with some water shots, but that was not to be.

There were several examples of all kinds of wildlife there.  We steered clear of the s-n-a-k-e-s because of You Know Who. This is an American Kestrel.  It was a beautiful bird, but smaller than I thought.

These two shots are of an immature female Red Tailed Hawk.  The females are larger than the males.

I learned quite a bit about falconry…just enough to be dangerous.  There is a real dedication required to complete all of the education and licensing that goes into it.

This is a Harris’s Hawk.  This bird has beautiful rusty coloring on its shoulder feathers.  And speaking of feathers…

They were so gorgeous. I just wanted to touch them…but wisely didn’t.

Some of the birds were rescued from owners who didn’t understand the commitment required to care for these types of birds.  And some were wild rescues.

This Raven was so glossy.  They are quite intelligent birds and according to the docent, this one has a bit of an attitude.  She has been known to appear to derive pleasure from cutting unsuspecting handlers with her sharp beak.

Owls are an all-time favorite of mine and this little Short Eared Owl didn’t fail to make me smile…or to take several pictures.

The Great Horned Owl was regal and stately.  You can see how they blend in so well in the wild.

We got to listen to a very knowledgeable biologist and nature photographer.  He had such unbelievably great shots from all over the world and a wealth of information to share that the short time period didn’t really allow.  His power point presentation would have be much more enjoyable (for You Know Who) if he didn’t like to take so many pictures of s-n-a-k-e-s.

I know that Tracy worries that we will have so many of the same pictures when we go to these places together and doesn’t want to bore anyone with repetitions.  But I say she has such a unique and wonderful way of looking at the world, her shots are always uniquely her own.

PS:  And in reality, I was glad to avoid the s-n-a-k-e-s because I’m pretty sure that was where the s-p-i-d-e-r-s were.  :)

Tracy and I are out and about…

 

Watch out world!!

We have a goal in mind and I’m hoping it will involve some water and birds.  Whatever happens, it’s always a good time with Tracy and our cameras. 

Snap, crackle, pop…

 

Sometimes ideas and worries go snap, crackle, pop through my brain like fireworks.  That usually happens when I’m trying to stay on top of something that threatens to undermine my hard-worked for peace and serenity.  That has been the case lately, but today I am happy to say that “I feel so fluffy!!!”  Light and lifted up and that’s a good thing.  I had a colonoscopy today that was weighing heavy on my mind.  A recent CT scan showed a mass on my appendix and I’m waiting for surgery to remove one of the last two expendable parts I have left in my body…I could give you a kidney, but one of them has a benign cyst on it…you might not want that one.  And this procedure today would show if I had more to worry about. I DON’T!  The surgery will still be not much fun and I will still have to worry about a biopsy of the appendix, but I feel like life is good and all things are in place for a great outcome. 

Now I can focus again on that peace and serenity and with all the friends and family I have who know how to support and encourage me, I know I’m going to be fine.  

Tried and True…

 

The day that Tracy and I went out to Estrella Mountain Park and didn’t have much picture taking luck….well at least I didn’t….I did come home that evening and play with a different lens.

These are all straight out of the camera with only some occasional cropping.  They were all done in very low light with my 50mm lens.

 

I love the softness and how blurred the backgrounds are.  I know there’s a word for that, but for the life of me I can’t remember how to spell it right now.  Tracy will let us know.

 

This is the true color of the Lady in Red that I posted about earlier in the week.  And the oranges are spot on too.

 

I love the sharpness at the edge of the petals, but then the watercolor look to the leaves.  I had fun!!

Anticlimactic, to say the least…

 

Tracy and I were very disappointed by the lack of photo subjects yesterday.  We decided not to venture very far afield and that may have been our undoing.

Things were dead, dead and dead.  We haven’t had rain in so long even the desert is beginning to die.

 

There are arroyos that patiently await the coming of the spring rains.

 

There are creatures who make their homes in what little shade this arid land has to offer.  How they live on such small amounts of moisture is beyond me.

 

I was afraid we had walked onto a movie  where some locals were going to come hunting us…   Sorry, very bad reference to “The Hills Have Eyes”.  Told you it was a rough day.

 

But we did sight the rare “Barebacked Road Runner” off in the distance.  :)  Oh, this blog is headed downhill fast.  

 

But I did learn some very interesting things about some of my friends who follow this blog from yesterday’s comments.  Very important information that Tracy and I will file away for future adventures….call Brian for bail money….call Steve for passports and hacksaws baked in cakes…Chris has contacts at the Border Patrol.    Love all you people!! 

A Day of Exploring….

 

I’m in dire need of new subject matter….I’m sure you’ve noticed, but are all far too polite to mention it.  Tracy and I are off today in pursuit of just that….new subject matter.  Wish us luck and hopefully we won’t get involved with the border patrol.

Soaking up the sun…

 

Yesterday afternoon I spent  a couple of hours on the back porch sitting in the sun out of the wind.  I had my crossword puzzle and a book to read.  But most importantly, I had my camera.

 

I took 106 pictures.  Many of flowers.

 

Some of birds.

This is a Western Meadowlark.  I don’t see them around the yard often and they are really shy.  I can’t get very close at all before they fly away. 

I believe this is some type of Warbler although I can’t quite decide which it is.  I’m leaning toward a Virginia Warbler.

This beauty flew out of the cottonwood on the back of the property before I was ready.  I sure wish these hawks would learn how to pose.

 

I did whittle the pictures down to 44 that I chose to keep.  Maybe I should have made that 43, but how could I get rid of this cutie?

Hope your weekend is “hopping” along just fine.