Kids, be careful opening your presents! Lurking within may be the toy you’ve been dreaming of, or perhaps a ferocious monster eager to devour the naughty and the nice!
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Sam of Sun & Shadow
In the high heat of the desert summer even Sam stops seeking out sunbeams to warm his belly as he sleeps. Come cooler weather though, he’s like a flower tracking the sun as it arcs across the sky. A quick snap of one of my favorite models as I learn the new camera.
Favorites
Judging by the white streaks running down the saguaro I’m guessing this kestrel likes this perch. I met her before sunset as I was heading out of the park and couldn’t resist stopping briefly for a picture, I so adore these little falcons. Unlike my time in the Northwest I’ve not gotten to see their hovering pose here in the desert. I think I too would enjoy a nice sit-down given the many high perches nature has graciously provided.
The Spooners
Sam and Boo were sleeping on my legs until I needed to get up, upon return I found this snuggly scene with both brothers having stolen my spot. Couldn’t bear to move them so let them be and sat down beside them.
Los Hermanos
The brothers keep me company on my couch during Thanksgiving break.
Pink Light, Blue Light
A couple of quick snapshots after sunset, taken a week apart in October, as I hiked out of the local preserve. I like the blue light of the second picture the best, the park closed a bit after sunset so I had enough time to wait for the soft light of dusk before leaving (I’m steps away from the park entrance where my wife was picking me up).
That’s Brown’s Mountain sneaking in in the background, I usually try to include the mountains in this area if I can since they were so fundamental to me getting oriented on the trails when we moved here and life seemed a whirlwind. I’ve been meaning to try some other compositions but to get here I have to make it past a couple of favorite trails that often have good views of wildlife, such as the last picture where a female Gila woodpecker sidles round a saguaro in the last light of the day. Hard to pass up a chance to watch the desert fauna, at which point I have to hurry on down the trail. One day though, one day …
Well Well Well, Nikon, We Meet at Last
The title is a slight exaggeration in that while this is my first Nikon camera it is not my first Nikon, that distinction belongs to the Coolscan III film scanner I had many years ago. The Z fc is an experiment for me on multiple levels, I’ve long wanted a camera with focus bracketing so as long as I like the camera I’ll be picking up Nikon’s macro when it comes back in stock. I’m hoping the Z will take over for when I want to go even lighter than I can with my little Sony’s. Plus I want to try out the Nikon user interface, and as well see if I like the flip-out LCD screen as much as I think I will. Came close to getting the Z7 II when Nikon had a sale on refurbished gear but I wasn’t quick enough on the draw, but I think this one will be a lot of fun too.
If Trixie seems a little unsure it’s because she’s been in a mood all day, Sam had a checkup at the vet today and seeing the cat carrier brought back bad memories of her last vet visit, which we are all trying to forget …
The 5 a.m. Club
The brothers woke me at 5 a.m. yesterday (more precisely, Boo woke me to pet him a bit then Sam jumped up for a snugglefest) and, unable to get back to sleep, I eventually got up for a sunrise hike. The scene repeated this morning except I immediately fell back asleep after they each got their pets. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, I wouldn’t mind another early hike, but I would prefer if they’d wake me closer to the time I need to be up and at ’em when the park opens.
On the medical front, Trixie is officially out of quarantine after her biting incident and Boo’s blood test came back with no alarming results though it doesn’t tell us why one of his markers was high.
Smaller of the Larger
I’ve posted a lot of the smaller creatures of the desert lately, even if the larger of the smaller like tarantulas and black witches, so let me post one of the larger creatures of the desert, even if the smaller of the larger as this white-spotted fawn is still fairly young. It was gently browsing through the desert in the late afternoon sun with a sibling and their mother. I wasn’t completely taken aback when we moved here to find deer in the desert, we had mulies in the high desert of central Oregon, as well as blacktails and Columbian whitetails in the wet western valleys. Still, with the extreme heat of the summers it amazes me anything can survive here.
A week later I was back in the same area, the sun had just set and I was nearing the park border where I was meeting my wife, my hike ending, when I met a different mule deer doe and this older fawn, their day beginning.
I Call This One Bitey
The other day Trixie was due for a routine checkup but knew something was up and hid under the bed. I coaxed her out by softly calling her name and, feeling safe, she came right to me only to realize she was betrayed. I carried her wriggling form to the cat carrier to cries of “Judas! Judas!”. She needed to go back in to have a tooth dealt with but this time knew better than to trust me so I had to move the bed to get to her. I best not repeat her words from that morning.
This was her first time under anesthesia and she must have been pretty terrified when she was coming to as she bit one of the vet assistants. We have to keep Trixie quarantined at home and watch for signs of rabies but that’s not a problem as she’s an indoor cat (I mean, except that one time). Thankfully the vet called to let us know her victim is doing well, I guess it’s not that unusual (there’s even a medical term for it) but it’s our first time dealing with it.
My deepest gratitude to all the vets out there who have to deal with terrified patients who don’t understand they’re trying to help.
(Today’s title is a nod to one of my favorite Simpson’s episodes, Marge vs. the Monorail, it’s similar to a line from Homer about the opossums living in the monorail cockpit. I watched it yet again in honor of Trixie and it still makes me laugh after all these years.)
Boolie 