Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Wood Ducks--Watery Wednesday

I wish these shots were better but this was the best I could get of these wood ducks.
The male is so colorful it's hard to believe he's real. The female is less colorful but with her striking white eyeliner I think she is quite attractive.
The males seem to think so too as she has two of them pursuing her.

That is my water sight for the week. You can see more at Watery Wednesday hosted for us by 2sweetnsaxy.

Monday, March 29, 2010

My World in Spring

How do I know it’s Spring?

finery

The neighbors Pink Flamingo is showing off his Spring wardrobe.

green hills

The green hills are washed with white popcorn flower.

garden

My garden has begun its succession of Spring bloom.

wisteria

 

 

Perfumed with the heavenly fragrance of the wisteria.

 

In the open space the sheep have moved on to other pastures.  But wait, they left one behind!

ewe1

No, not one, there is another.

ewe 2

Another sign of Spring.  A new born lamb.  Not wanting to tire or disturb them during this critical period, the shepherds fenced the ewe and her lamb and left them for a day, allowing them to rest and bond before returning them to the flock.

I had no idea when we moved here that it would be such a “back to nature” experience.  Sheep lambing 100 feet from my back door, egrets, pheasants, quail, hawks and songbirds I see or hear every day from my yard.  A walk down by the pond and I can see a wide variety of water fowl.  Five years here and I still find new things to wonder at!

You can find more worlds at My World Tuesday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Shadows from the Bridge

bridge

More shadows can be found at Hey Harriet.  Shadow Shot Sunday is hosted by Tracy down in Brisbane.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Morning has Broken

Morning-has-broken-tonemapp

Morning has broken

Like the first morning

Blackbird is singing2

Blackbird has spoken

Like the first bird

swftom

Words from poem By Eleanor Farjeon.   When I took this photo at sunrise one day, all I could think of was the hymn in my UU hymnal.  I’ve been trying to get the blackbirds to cooperate ever since.

See more skies at Skywatch Friday, hosted for us each week by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Bathing Beauties—Watery Wednesday

One

two

three

Gold finches bathing in my fountain

See more watery sites at Watery Wednesday, hosted for us each week by 2sweetnsaxy.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Hiking Palm Canyon—My World

Another hike in Anza-Borrego is the hike from the campground up Palm Canyon to the oasis.

stream

The trail follows the stream up canyon.  There was quite a bit of water in the upper portions.  Down stream the thirsty gravel had left only puddles.

Brittlebush

 

 

There was brittlebush and ocotillo in the lower, drier portions of the trail.     

 

 

 

 

 

Bever tail 

We were a little to early to see this Beavertail in bloom.

globe mallow 

This Desert Mallow was blooming though.

Mojave gold poppy

Arizona Lupin

There was quite a variety of flowers in the canyon.  I think these are Mojave Gold Poppy and Arizona Lupine.  There are so many similar varieties that I could easily be mistaken.Oasis 1

Some lovely cascades as we approach the end.

Oasis 2

And then the palm oasis.  The skirts of old leaves protect the trunk from the harsh summer heat.  It was an easy hike except for some places where the trail and bridge had been washed out.

Find more views of the world at My World Tuesday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.

Hiking to Panoramic Overlook

This is a short hike in Anaza-Borrego, short but a bit steep.Panoramic-Overlook-Trail Partway up there is a viewpoint for those that don’t want to go all the way.

Mohavea-confertiflora2-Ghos I saw this beauty along the trail and didn’t see it anywhere else.  It took me some time to identify it, Ghost Flower, Mohavea confertiflora.

Panoramic Overlook The view at the top was even better.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Shadows of the Past

Farm worker 1

Farm worker 2

Near Borrego Springs the vineyards are gone

but these iron farm workers labor on

foreshadowning a future with too little water

and too much heat

You can find more shadows at Hey Harriet, hosted for us by Tracy in Brisbane,  Australia.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Blue Desert Sky

Ocotillo2

Joshua Tree

Reach, praising heaven

giver of rain, giving  warmth

blossoms reach for sky

See more skies at Skywatch Friday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, and Sylvia.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park—My World

Anza-Borrego is one of the lesser known of California’s State parks.  It lies in the eastern part of San Diego County extending down to the border with Mexico.

islands2 It is, however, well know to enthusiasts of desert wild flowers.  I am certainly no botanist or horticulturalist, I can’t always identify the plants I see, but I find it interesting to observe how things grow in the desert.

When I walked through the campground I noticed that there were islands of vegetation.  Smaller plants grouped under the larger shrubs and often two or three of the shrubs would be grouped together.  The smaller plants seemed to be hiding in the shade of the larger or perhaps the grouping trapped more water.

These are some of the shrubs anchoring the islands.

If someone knows what this plant is I’d love to know, I couldn’t find it in any of my books.

Here are some of the smaller plant living in their shadow.

Map picture
mwtblack

My World Tuesday Is brought to us each week by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Home from the Desert

I haven't left comments the last week as I have been away and off the web.

We went off to the desert last week to camp and hunt the elusive wild flower with our digital sensors. We had intended to go to Anza-Borrego, Joshua Tree and Death Valley. Things didn't go as planned and we are back sooner than anticipated.

We stopped the first night in this lovely campground in an orange grove. The management encourages the guests to pick oranges and even lends out fruit pickers. After that things started to go down hill.

When we left the campground and got on the freeway to cross the mountains we noticed that there were some trucks parked on the side of the road. The farther we went the more trucks we saw parked. I was getting a bad feeling. Yes, the road was closed ahead, due to snow.

After our stay at Anza-Borrego the Roadtrek malfunctioned and we couldn't empty the holding tanks. All the campgrounds at Joshua Tree were full. We decided it was time to abandon our adventure, come home and get the van fixed.

I did get some good shots at Anza-Borrego and at our drive through Joshua Tree. Enough good ones I hope for several posts.

Shadow Shot

bike sculpture

Shadow Shot Sunday is brought to us by Tracy at Hey Harriet.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Cormorant Sky Shot

cormorant

above still waters

silhouetted against the sky

Cormorant waits

More skies can be found at Sky Watch Friday, hosted fro us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and Sylvia.