Macro Morning

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I got out my macro lens this morning and René and I started crawling around under squash leaves to get photos of a bee inside a squash blossom. The bee was pretty cute, but after several snaps it got tired of having a lens in its face and showed me a hefty pair of bee fangs. I can’t resist doing macro shots of damselflies and dragonflies. I sneak up on them until they fly, freeze in place and wait for them to come back (they often do), sneak up a little closer — they fly, I freeze, they come back — and the process continues until I either get the shots I want or they decide I’m too close and don’t come back.

Mama Manx has a cave in the cucumber patch where she lays on the cool mulch under the shade of the cucumber leaves. When one of us gets too close to the entrance of her cucumber cave, she darts out like a moray eel, chatters at us, then retreats back into her cave.

Puck is working on his memoirs, “Don’t Puck With Me”, and while he was taking a break he pestered Laurie for some attention while she was reading. Guildenstern was intently playing with clover under my chair while I sat on the deck enjoying the fine summer morning.

 

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Paws

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Diné laid under the chaise lounge with her paws crossed, while beautiful thunderheads built up over the Sandias and floated by earlier in the afternoon. A vulture appeared to fly above the clouds as it circled over the river. The picturesque clouds turned into a dust storm in the late afternoon, but, alas, no rain.

 

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Vulture

 

 

One O Seven Point Three

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Laurie noticed the temperature was 106º F at 4:30 pm, so I checked the max temperature for the day on our weather station and it showed the max temp was 107.3º F which is 41.8º C — just shy of the “answer to life the universe and everything”. The temperature was 99º F when I was checking to see what the max temp was and I noticed it said the wind chill was 98.3º F — let’s hear it for the cool breeze! I thought the photo of a backlit Camisole rose was the most representative of “sunny and 107”, but a backlit trumpet vine and Tuscan Sun rose were good candidates, as well.

 

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Sparkling Harleys

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There were a couple of sparkling clean Harleys parked outside the office this afternoon. Anyone remember the “banana seat”? I had a bicycle like the green Schwinn pictured below many, many, many years ago!

 

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Magic Mountains

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Cézanne made many paintings of Mont Sainte-Victoire. Some people think that was rather strange, but Like the Sandias, depending on the light and perspective, Mont Sainte-Victoire is never the same.

 

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Kitty Cats

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Rosencrantz was lounging at Laurie’s feet while she was sketching with her left hand. Diné was eyeing another kitty and Guildenstern took Laurie’s place when she got up, disturbing Rosencrantz’ lounging position.

 

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Out and About

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I drove through north Corrales and all access to the river and bosque are closed. People say we are in a drought, but really we are experiencing what is more normal for arid New Mexico. So if the bosque and state parks and wilderness areas are only going to be open when we have above normal rainfall, New Mexico may end up being closed for longer than most of us will live. Rosencrantz was hanging out in the bamboo looking smart, and René was having a bad hair day after I gave him a shower.

 

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Birded

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Sophia was begging to get out and sit on me while I was sitting at the table working on photos at Tristan’s and David’s. Apparently I remind her of her previous owner and she got very excited to be out with me, started grooming me, and regurgitating for me, which is a very loving gesture coming from an African Grey! There is a family of quail in their back yard. Mama and papa quail sit on top of the wall and act bewildered that the chicks can’t get up on the wall with them. The chicks blend into the bark, mulch and wall.

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