She’s A Big One

Meet Wilma Wasp, a Toltec Scoliid (Dielis tolteca) that is native to the southwest. I normally only see the butts of Toltec Scoliids sticking out of the trumpet-shaped flowers of the Chitalpa tree. However, this afternoon, Wilma Wasp was really working the Shasta Daisies totally ignoring my phone camera just inches away from her.

Damselfly Challenge

Dawn

Can you find all three Damselflies in the above photo? Click on the photos for larger views and the ability to zoom in closer.

Can you find all three Damselflies in the drone view?

Silver: “Does it look like a give a Rat’s behind about Damselflies?”

Single Damselfly

Another single Damselfly

The skies stayed mostly gray and blue tonight as the clouds rolled in at sunset.

Looking North

Looking South

Looking East

Looking West

The most colorful view of the sunset was looking northwest with the blooming Chitalpa tree in the middle of the frame.

Cool & Picante On A Hot Afternoon

The temperature was only 100º F (37.8º C) when I prepared this meal of a salad (made by Laurie), extra sharp cheddar cheese, hot salsa, corn chips and blueberries.

Betsy Bunny

Scattered clouds tonight.

Muted colors on the clouds in the east at sunset.

Tonight was the first night it was clear enough to see the moon from our property.

Mountains on the moon.

Hangdog Daze of Summer’s Cats

Glenda stretching out of the frame.

What do cats do in the heat of hangdog daze of summer? They be cool. As everyone should know, cats are always cool. Spunk knows he’s “Hot” based on his kitty good looks, but he has always been, and there never was a time that he was not, a super cool cat. But when it’s hot, the cats like to “hangdog” around and look cool.

Spunk putting on the cool hangdog daze look.

Silver in a hangdog daze.

Sasha hangdogging in style.

Spunk knows a cool place to be on a hangdog hot day is in the cooler. Marble thinking about joining him.

Loki enjoying in the airflow from the cooler.

Spunk daydreaming, while Marble naps on the cool glass top.

A thunderstorm blew in around 5:00 pm with a lot of noise and about 4 drops of rain. However, the temperature dropped from 103º F (39.4º C) to 89º F (31.6º C) in a matter of minutes.

Glenda hangdogging and planking at the same time.

The thunderstorm produced some cool clouds.

A hangdog daze tail wag from Glenda.

Gwendolyn hangdogging on a worm rug.

Sunset lights up Resa’s tree.

Glenda: “What’s your problem Paparazzo?”

Not a good mix it.

Good colors, anyway.

The painter broke through the hangdog daze pallor of gray overcast skies at sunset.

Glenda: “What’s up with you going back and forth to look at the sky? Enough already. You’re bothering me boy!”

Hangdog daze Crepuscular rayz at sunset.

Hot Day In The Hood

While the official high temperature in Albuquerque was 101ºF (38.3ºC), the temperature in the east side of the building when I left the office was 107ºF (41.7ºC). I stopped by Costco on the way home and parked in the shade under their solar panels. When I got in the car to leave, the temperature still read 107ºF. The temperature did not change until I got home and it went down to 99ºF (37.2ºC).

Black bamboo sprouting in Julie’s Giant Dr. Huey has a Japanese look to it.

Spunk posing for intermission.

Pre-sunset looking east.

Sunset looking east.

Sunset looking west.

Three Bean Baggers

Sasha Bean Bagging.

Silver: “You’re pretty pathetic Bean Bagger, Sasha. You have to be more expressive!”

Spunk: “Both of your are bona fide, brazenly bad, boring Bean Baggers. Allow the best bona fide braggart of a Bean Bagger, moi, to show you some basic, bratty and beatifically beautiful Bean Bagging.”

Who do you think is the best Bean Bagger?

White Duck Daze

Some one’s white duck was in the irrigation ditch tonight.

I spotted a Beaver on the other side of the river.

He slithered into the water.

Swam toward me like Jaws.

He made a right turn,

Then a left turn.

Then Splashed me after I was yelling at him to splash for quite some time.

Daddy Owl

Is there a dragon in the clouds?

The Sandias with a soft pink.