THE DUST WILL WAIT

As the oddest of days, weeks, and months perplex and confuse, it is calming to see an early August moon peak over the mountains. The trusty cell phone that seems my constant companion takes acceptable results and gives me the false sense that I have figured out how to take night time photos.  I haven't.  This was luck and the only one with minimal blur and that interesting reflected fence provided by the neighbors security light. Earlier that day the excitement came from finding someones parakeet feeding with sparrows.   The little buffet on the ground is provided for the quail and dove that visit our backyard at least once a day. But they have not presented any young.  I've assumed they were meals for the feral cats and several hawks that hunt relentlessly in our neighborhood. A  Cooper's Hawk grabbed a squawking young sparrow when I was standing nearby, so I know they aren't shy about my presence.   Little parakeet did not return this morni...

A quick trip to Portland, OR and then headed home.  We travel east on I-84 and pass through the Cascade Mountains via the Columbia River Gorge.  Our trip takes four hours or more depending on how often we stop.  Once we passed through the mountains and could see the weather to the east I was infatuated by the storm and snapped a few photos through the windshield.  For two hours we chased and occasionally crossed paths with small squalls that lagged behind.  We caught up with the main cloud formation at dusk in the valley we call home.  As always I wonder why I didn't take the time to pull over and make an artistic attempt to focus.  As beautiful as this storm presented, it reminded me that there are many who have been dealing with some very frightening weather in their own valleys.  My hearts go out to them.

 Swallowtail  Snake River Sky Snake River - Fishhook Park with Grands (Interloper on far left.. ha ha) Snake River - Leaving the dock Life is Grand (five of them) Fish Pond at night Can you see me? Sparrow Food looking at the camera   Bees with Garlic breath Such is life

Bird watching was another entertainment I pursued on our recent road trip,   I documented and added  twenty-one new sightings to my 'Life List."  I also saw many familiar birds along the way. A Western Kingbird in Eastern Oregon.   I've seen many  Kingbirds during my bird watching excursions....but never so many at once.  We stopped at a rest stop where the trees were full of them and the yellow feathers were especially vibrant.  ♪♫♪♫♪♫  "Yellow bird, high up in banana tree..."  ♪♫♪♫♪♫ A first sighting!   Rock Wren on Antelope Island, The Great Salt Lake. I yearn to return  ---  with insect repellent.  Antelope Island is a sanctuary where, during migration, birds find plenty of flying insects to fulfill their energy requirements for the rest of their journey.  In the meantime, those pesky bugs thought I was on the menu.  Pamela Cream Pie. Another first!  Broad-tailed Hummingbird.  Fl...

When I was a kid, my Mama and my Aunt Myrtle talked about a far away land called I Dee Ho.  When I grew older I realized they were really talking about a state...the one squeezed into the shape of a big fat L,  between Washington and Montana. Over the years, I’ve crossed the border into Idaho at times to visit Lewiston or Coeur d'Alene.  I’ve also had the thrill of a jet boat tour through Hells Canyon on the Snake – the  river that cuts a huge smile from Wyoming, all across Idaho, and into Washington.  (It spills into the Columbia River about 40 minutes from my house.) In June we had the opportunity to see more of the beautiful and not so far away I Dee Ho country.  Near Twin Falls, ID, the Snake River tumbles over a rocky 212 foot Shoshone Falls and flows through the Snake River Canyon.      I was reminded of when I was very young and that crazy stuntman Evil Knievel attempted (unsuccessfully) to jump the canyon on his moto...

While traveling through Nevada, I was surprised and entertained by the fantastic cloud formations in the sky above us. There aren't many opportunities to pull off on the shoulder of Highway 95, so most of my cloud photos were taken through the dirty car windows.  Even while I was driving I would wake up WR and instruct him to aim and shoot. I'm not sure what I was trying to capture in this shot.  Maybe all those little clouds that look like UFO's. But look closely at the cloud in the upper right, while ignoring the reflection of my dash and the bug splatters on the windshield. It could be that lady lizard in the television show "V".  The one who says  "We are of Peace."  It also resembles me.   (Oh, and we weren't very far from AREA 51 . )  Spooky! ps. Gattina is once more hosting The Muffed Target at Writers Cramp s!