It’s been dipping into the 40’s at night so time to bring out the hoodies, I have some I wear at home and some I wear hiking. Best to keep some spares around as I’m not the only one who likes to put them to good use.
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In the Shadows, Dragons
Happy Halloween!
If this post seems a bit late, it’s later than it seems as I took it last year before Halloween, from one of the houses I passed near our rental house on Ellie’s increasingly shorter walks.
Sorry To This Banana
Boo was in a playful mood after each of my three hikes this weekend so we played until he tired, my apologies to this banana cat toy that got the thrashing of its life. He’s an introspective little fellow so it delights me to also see him play with such reckless abandon.
Fall Back
The reptiles may be gone, but look who’s back! I met this male phainopepla in October on the Latigo Trail, I’ve seen them frequently on my recent hikes though usually not so close. They remind me of cardinals, another desert bird, but having traded red feathers and black eyes for black feathers and red eyes while keeping the distinctive crest. The bills tell a different story, however, as phainopepla have the thin bills of flycatchers while cardinals have the thick bill of finches.
Until We Meet Again, My Friend
I met this lovely little fellow back in June on some of the nice new trails at the Pima Dynamite Trailhead in McDowell Sonoran Preserve. While I can’t quite say I love the summer heat, I love how it warms the pool for an after-hike swim, and more than anything I love how it draws out my friends from their hiding places in the rocks. Until we meet again little ones, stay safe, stay warm.
I’ve Got You, My Brother
Everyone Wants To Be A Saguaro
Just up the hill from us is one of the various small cell towers in the area, disguised to look like a saguaro, surrounded by the genuine article. The fake woodpecker holes are a nice touch.
Everything’s Connected
I was fascinated by the combination of hawks on the big transmission towers from the first time I saw them, this picture is from last year after we had been here for six weeks. I had only seen my first Harris’s hawk a couple of weeks prior so they were still a complete mystery to me then and didn’t have the strong emotional attachment they do now. On that morning I also saw my first bobcat, it seems that day in May has more than one connection to this November weekend.
Triangles
Boolie 