The moon finally made it through the clouds last night.
Last night’s moon at 92.4% full.
Paul is on the left and Peter is on the center-right.
We got out to the owls later than normal last night. At first, we could only find Peter and Paul. Mary finally showed up when it was too dark to focus. She’s in the last two photos with Peter.
The fading colors of dusk from last night.
Tonight’s moon finally rose above the clouds.
Tonight’s moon at 97.6% full.
Sunset tonight with rain that evaporates before it hits the ground.
After totally clear skies all day yesterday, a few clouds gathered at dusk for the painter to paint.
Peter with a moon halo last night.
I walked outside to photograph the moon and got clouds covering the moon. Maybe it will clear up later so I can get the moon.
The owlets were banking on the top of the levee and down on the bank along the clearwater ditch last night. Paul flew up into a tree on the other side of the Clearwater ditch and Mama Owl brought him something to eat and then flew off to go back to Wowlmart as quickly as she flew in. When it was almost dark Mama Owl came back with either a bat or a mouse. She perched close to me just long enough for me to get a photo of her, then she took off at warp speed.
Clear and hot today. 103ºF (39.4ºC), not a cloud in the sky.
Peter, Paul, and Mary together at dusk.
Like typical teenagers, PP&M are easily distracted. It took a lot of effort to get all three to look at the camera.
Paul seems to be acting like he’s feeding Mary while Peter looks at other things.
All three in a tangle of branches. Paul moved down to a lower branch, and Peter flew over to the other side of the Tangle Heart Tree.
Daddy Owl showed up with a snake, perched on a branch below Peter, and started doing his “I’m back from Wowlmart, honey!” hoot for Mama Owl to come and take the snake. While he was waiting for form Mama, he was messing with the snake that started out wrapped around Daddy Owl’s leg.
Mama Owl landed on the Tangle Heart Tree with something in her beak. Daddy Owl flew over to the Tangle Heart Tree and land with the snake dangling from his beak. Before Mama Owl could hop up to where Daddy Owl was and make the exchange, Peter flew over to Daddy Owl to get the snake.
A lot of flapping of wings and gnashing of beaks took place before Peter secured the snake in his beak.
Mama Owl started up toward Peter, and Daddy flew back to Wowlmart. Mama seemed like she was trying to get Peter to take her morsel, but Peter was saying “But Mama! Can’t you see I have a snake?” Mama finally flew off and left Peter to eat his snake.
Mama flew over to a tree she often perches on by our gate to the ditch and watched the lingering colors fade away.
Sunset colors and the moon in the Tangle Heart Tree last night.
For my just-in-time delivery of today’s photos, I have a new office dog, flowers, roses, and the half-moon.
Baby
Spunk behind Petunias, Pillow Fight, and Iceberg
Rio Samba, Mermaid, and Altissimo
Iceberg
Mary and Paul. Mama Owl after she delivered a mouse to Peter.
Mama Owl flew back and forth with food for the owlets three times while we were out with them last night. It was dusk, and she was giving the owlets their meals behind a mess of leaves, so I couldn’t get the exchanges of food, but Peter was proud of his mouse and acted like he had a mouse cigar in his beak for quite a while before he finally ate it.
For the summer schedule, there will be a mix of photos from yesterday and today. By the time I get finished photographing owls at dusk and sunset colors, it’s what used to be my bedtime. If I stay up processing photos taken at dusk and later, it ends up going on midnight by the time I get photos processed and posted. Today’s photos of the owls, sunset, and moon in orange clouds were taken last night. The moon at 44.3% full was taken this afternoon.
How many owlets can you find in the above photo?
Mary and Paul in the Tangle Heart tree under colored clouds and the moon.
Paul
Mama Owl brought Paul a snack of some type and then flew off in search of more.
Mary
Peter was deeper in the darker bosque on his own last night.
Peter, Paul, and Mary were really testing their wings tonight. Peter and Mary were in the Tangle Heart Tree when I walked up to it tonight. Paul was on the ground hopping around about 100 yards south of the Tangle Heart Tree. Mary flew into the bosque and ended up with Paul after he flew back u into the trees. Peter flew into the bosque, back to the Tangle Heart Tree, and then into the bosque again. All three were very active while waiting for Mama and Daddy to bring them food.
Peter
Paul on the Ground
Paul after he flew back into the bosque.
Mary barfed a pellet from the Tangle Heart Tree, and then she flew over to where Paul was.
Peter and Mary in the Tangle Heart Tree.
I finished the roof over the deck this morning. The deck is several degrees cooler than the outside temperature with the new roof. The cats are happy to have the deck back.
Violet-green Swallows were swarming over the river catching insects. They were also flying close to the water splashing in it as they skimmed the surface. I was not able to get still shots of them splashing.
Mary flew over to the tree with Paul last night. She was really proud of herself this morning perched in the shade with her chest up and out like “See what I did?”
Paul and Mary. Daddy Owl was sitting in a cottonwood in the bosque where he could see both of them in their new tree between the ditches. It will be interesting to see how long it is before they fly into the bosque.
We had our 9th Annual Corrales Rose Society Dr. Huey Tour this afternoon after I went to a “hanging” to help Susan Graham hang her photos at the NM Cancer Center for a Gallery with A Cause show titled “On the Rise – Artists in Early and Mid-Career.” I also helped another artist hang her paintings. She was by herself. Susan and I discovered it’s hard to hang the art and get it right as per the curator who didn’t give particularly clear instructions. When I came out of the restroom after washing my hands, I noticed the artist was starting to rearrange her paintings after the curator had set them where she wanted the paintings. I told the artist not to change the order of her paintings or she would have to rehang them. After Susan and I were done hanging Susan’s photographs, and Susan was waiting for final approval, I noticed the artist having a little trouble hanging her paintings. I went down and helped her. It’s a two-person job to hang artwork and get everything aligned and spaced properly.
I had been to the Cancer Center a week ago for my annual checkup, but it turned out to be my last checkup. My doctor said the scan was clear and my immune system was almost up to normal numbers, so he fired me as a patient. No more scans or checkups unless I get symptoms.
For new followers, Dr. Huey is the rootstock used to graft roses in the western United States. Corrales is a cold spot. A lot of roses freeze at the bud unions in the winter killing the rose grafted to the rootstock. Dr. Huey is cold hardy and drought tolerant. Once the bud union is dead Dr. Huey grows. Therefore, there are many Dr. Hueys growing in Corrales. Starting in 2014, we had done an annual tour of Dr. Hueys in Corrales or simply on our property since we have more Dr. Hueys every year.
We have a lot more Dr. Hueys this year because we had a cold and very dry winter. I was not able to water much during the winter because it never warmed up enough for the hoses to thaw. So we lost more roses over the winter.
Most rosarians don’t like Dr. Huey, but Laurie, Susan, and I love Dr. Huey. It only blooms once, but when Dr. Huey blooms it produces a lot of beautiful red roses with yellow centers. While many of our other roses are struggling due to the drought, Dr. Huey is thriving. Rosarians who live in other parts of the country that don’t have harsh climates like New Mexico can be snobs and hate rootstock roses, but Laurie, Susan, and I appreciate any rose that can thrive in New Mexico, and Dr. Huey is thriving.
A large Dr. Huey along Corrales Road.
Well Hung
Thirteen of sixteen photos Susan has in the show.
Paul flew over to the trees between the ditches leaving Mary behind. Daddy owl was keeping an eye on Mary. We didn’t see Peter in the trees between the ditches, so we presume he flew over to the Bosque. We’ll have to go over and see if we can find him in the Bosque. Given the rate of growth and flying, the owlets might have each hatched a week apart.
Off Center & Not Even 