Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
I saw the diamondback before Bear did, the wind was swirling which undoubtedly threw off his sniffer, plus it was partially obscured on the right side of the trail. As soon as he recognized it he got behind me and gently tugged on the leash in the other direction (he’s trained to give them a wide berth). We stayed well back and gave it room to cross the trail and we last saw it exploring some rocks on the other side.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: April 26, 2024
There are magical experiences on the trails you never forget and I’ve had several this spring. The first was when I was walking Bear and stopped dead in my tracks when I saw one of my favorite creatures ever sauntering across the trail. We had each seen Gila monsters before but this was our first together and only my fourth overall. Thankfully I had my telephoto lens with me that day, not the best picture but I love every moment with these stunning lizards, such a rare treat.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: April 14, 2024
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: March 13, 2024
The other night Trixie was sleeping on a pillow in front of my office window when a flash of light and a loud bang sent her scurrying from the room, without even looking I knew she’d be hiding under the bed. The thunderstorm raged for a surprisingly long time, rattling the windows and one tortoiseshell’s nerves. By 1 a.m. with the weather calmed she finally emerged to wake us up and let us know it was long past time to move back to Oregon.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: March 29, 2024
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 26, 2024
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: April 20, 2024
Bear and I take a water break in a spot where perhaps neither human nor dog has ever set foot before. I so miss being able to take him hiking every day! We were back here yesterday, I didn’t think we’d have time for this short trail at the end but he charged around our favorite loop so fast that even after stopping to watch a herd of deer we still had plenty of time to come up here and take a water break before heading home.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 19, 2024
A Harris’s hawk pops open the escape hatch at the top of mature saguaros.
📷: Sony A6500 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: February 20, 2022
A thunderstorm brews to the east of Witch Hazel, far enough away I had plenty of time to get off the trails before the storm arrived.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-70mm f/4
🗓️: August 7, 2022
I took the Christmas tree down today and post this picture of a fallen tree in memory of Emma & The Tree She Loved Too Much. Perhaps old age or disease or storm damage felled this one but I wouldn’t be too surprised if there’s a black panther haunting Vickery Creek that loved to sleep high in its branches and one night made it a little too top heavy for its base to support.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: February 2, 2024
Boolie 