Scratcher of heads, rubber of bellies
Friday afternoon I took Bear into the desert, choosing an initial loop that wouldn’t take him too far in case he got tired. But his energy was high so I expanded the loop and added a short nature trail. At the end we were treated to this red-tailed hawk up on Bobcat Rocks (I saw a bobcat there once), having hiked 5.1 miles in total. I took him on an easy 3 mile jaunt in the neighborhood yesterday, not sure what we’ll do today.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200mm
🗓️: December 20, 2024
You never know where you’re going to come across a Jedi. Some are rather small but don’t comment on it, they’re rather sensitive about it.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: September 21, 2024
A pair of owls owns the high ground, bathed in the last light of the setting sun. I trained Bear on the trails in this area though we haven’t been back since the desert to the east burned.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: March 28, 2023
It’s funny how personal photography can be. This is my favorite image from my leave of absence but if I had shown it to myself at the start of my leave I would have been confused, recognizing the scene but not the significance. For me it captures the joy and even euphoria I felt as my mind unwound taking Bear into the desert every day. As big as he is his shadow was too short to stretch across the massive rock face so you won’t see him, but I do. I see myself too and not just my shadow, but a self that was coming out of the shadows. I had to put him back into semi-hibernation for a while but we’ll meet again.
📷: Nikon Z fc | Nikon 16-50 DX
🗓️: January 26, 2024
A different take on a favored scene, deliberately adding my shadow to the desert’s own. I can’t remember if Bear’s shadow mixed in with mine or if his was too short even for this wide view, but I loved hiking this trail with him this past winter and spring.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 13, 2024
Ensconced in the cliff face looks to be the skull of a leviathan that once swam in long dead seas. One day I noticed a pupil in the empty eye socket, the pupil a master, waiting for night to fall. I started bringing my telephoto lens on our walks and one day caught the pupil stepping into the light, my favorite wildlife picture in a long while. Bear and I shared a little laugh wondering how many times we walked past not knowing the unseeing eye watched us from on high.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: April 20, 2024
I love this little scene near Granite Mountain, Bear and I have passed it a number of times on our hikes.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 7, 2024
A sleeping chuckwalla is happy to be stuck between a rock and a hard place on a warm spring afternoon. It was a beautiful crevice, deep enough to provide protection from the hawks and owls living nearby with hungry mouths to feed. It’s a bit humbling to see for someone who has trouble sleeping even curled up and comfy in bed.
📷: Sony A6700 | Sony 100-400mm | Sony 1.4X
🗓️: May 28, 2024
A rock squirrel shows off its expansive home.
📷: Nikon Z 7II | Nikon 24-200
🗓️: April 13, 2024
Boolie 