...SQUIRREL!

Lucy and I were out in the backyard when a small creature sounded out an alarm. I thought it was a bird that just wouldn't stop tweeting. But it wasn't a bird. Lucy was going back and forth searching for the beast. I scanned the hill above to find a California ground squirrel. It was perched on a thicket above it's burrow sounding the alarm call for several minutes. It only went away once I moved close to the fence to take a picture.

Boy! Was it angry?!

...evade, trail, evade!

I now know how the coyote feels. I was on the bike trail again this afternoon when I saw another roadrunner! It flew across the trail in a ways in front of me. I slowed down and trailed it as it ran parallel to the trail for a while. When it stopped, I stopped. I only got as far as one backpack strap off before the bird dove into the riverbed brush. I didn't have time to get to my camera phone. It was long gone. So, I continued on my way.

I spotted a hawk on down the trail. He soared my direction for nearly half a mile before he turned away. As I grew closer to the coast, I saw a few ducks in the river that runs into the ocean. And then I saw the ocean itself! I made it all the way to the end of the trail. I must say it was a little scary to ride under I-5. I kept thinking about earthquakes. But the effort to get out there was well worth it. Not only did I go 7 miles to the trail end, I had the sun and wind at my back for the return trip.



And then it happened again! On the return trip, I spied another roadrunner. Yes. He once again evaded my attempts to capture it on film! That sneaky desert chicken has got the better of me again. We'll see what happens next week as I plan to come armed with a camera instead of my slow cell phone...

...nearly miss this bird.

I saw my first roadrunner while biking this afternoon. He flew right in front of me as I was going up a hill. By the time I pulled over and got my cell phone out, he was too far away for a good picture. I was surprised how small they are. I tried to get closer, but he headed for the rocks. Here's the best I could do.



He looks like a desert chicken. At least I didn't run over this one!

...take on Baywatch Hill.

I've adapted the military tradition of naming hills I exercise on. That way it's not just a hill, it's an achievement. In our neighborhood, we have several hills for me to walk up and down. First, there is "Bunny Hill." I always see a few bunnies hop into the thick brush that lines the sidewalks there. This is also a smaller hill. So, the name seemed to fit. Next, there is what I like to call, "Booty Hill." I am always out of breath half-way up, and it works my backside. I thought Booty Hill was the most challenging hill around. Then, one day I discovered a trail that goes down the line between our neighborhood and the next. This hill is a full body work out. I have to swing my arms as I huff and puff to even get up it. To the right is the view looking down the hill. I figure that if I keep walking this hill, I may end up as toned as a Baywatch babe. So, I named it "Baywatch Hill." If I keep at it, maybe I'll be brave enough to post more than a picture of my toes at the beach...

...go to the beach, military style.

Last week, my sister came up to visit. We went to the beach on the local military base. It was very nice. I took a few shots with my cell phone. The beach wasn't crowded...and that's saying a lot, really. The beach was also in use for some martial arts instruction and AAV (Amphibious Assault Vehicle) maneuvers. You can't really see them in this picture. So, I brew it up the best I could and circled them for you. They kicked up a lot of sand and let off a lot of smoke. It was fun to watch. Sand, sun, and training...that's going to the beach, military style!

...curl.

This morning I went outside to pick up the morning paper and saw new palm leaves curling out from one of our palm plants. I love the shapes they make as they slowly stretch out to form the new palm leaves. So, I grabbed my camera and took some shots I could use to design a new background. I think it turned out pretty well. What do you think?


This shows the palm plant with the new leaves coming out of the top.


Here is a close-up of the tiny palm curls.


I put a piece of paper down the middle of the palm to photograph one side of curls. The result reminded me of ocean wave curls. So, I played some in that direction in Photoshop too...