nature – Page 4 – While Busy Making Other Plans …

From Our Backyard Garden

Unexpected, spontaneous potato emergence.

Every time we return from a walk in the wild, we have to carefully examine and brush our clothing in an attempt to discover and rid ourselves of any ticks (aka wood tick or dog tick) that may have hitched a ride. Charlie is particularly vulnerable; Kim seems to be constantly scrutinizing him. Despite our caution, some are not revealed for a day or more. Like two days after a walk in the brush, I felt an eerie sensation above an ear as I was typing away at the computer keyboard. Reaching up and flicking brought this guy (my research indicates it was a male) to my desktop. Whereupon we used our preferred method of capture — enveloping these beasts in a half-inch chunk of Scotch tape. I quickly tried for a handheld capture in lousy light (below) but by the time I had left the scene to secure my tripod to permit better (an uptick?) quality, Kim had disposed of the creature.

Coronavirus Diary: May 26, 2020

Keeping it up close and avoiding crowds …

Coronavirus Diary: May 18, 2020

A rainy morning. Kim and Charlie take off early to the “bird park” (Pioneer), and I promise to catch up with them after I finish breakfast. On the way, the usual miscellany:

I see another old geezer with a camera at the Pioneer Park Rose Garden and almost approach him, but think better of it as he is in deep concentration and there is always the matter of social distancing.

Inside the park:

Suddenly my beautiful bride and her vicious hound appear over the park’s “burial mound”:

Walking home before it starts raining hard:

Coronavirus Diary: May 17, 2020

Sunday. Might be a good time to venture downtown.

Downtown: Only Person For As Far As The Eye Can See

Shuttered Spa Window Poster Detail (Sidewalk Porn)

A few vehicles here and there. Behind me I hear a distinctive sound, and turn to see friend/CPA Michael’s 47-year-old purple autocrosser (dubbed “Barney”) buzz past.

Flora is probably the only consistently cheerful visual element out there these days. (Did I ever mention that I have never seen, outside of Hawaii, more ubiquitous streetside and yard display of flowers than in WaWaWA?)

Finally, no sooner than I return home, Kim announces that a hummingbird (she has a feeder for them on the deck) just crashed into the patio sliding door. I grabbed my camera, quickly clicked in the general direction from waist level without composing, hoping to capture *something* before the tiny winged dinosaur regained its composure. It flew away as I slid the door open, and I didn’t realize that I had actually grabbed an image until I later uploaded the files.

May Day

Kim surprises me with the announcement that we are getting out beyond city limits and heading for the McNary wildlife area around Wallula and the confluence of the Walla Walla and Columbia Rivers. I’m game, despite Charlie’s initial reluctance (he often protests rides in a car).

Some enroute windshield photography:

Lots of water, lots of birds, a coyote and a deer (where did I put that deer?) …

On the way back to the highway, Kim abruptly stops the car, thinking she has sighted a distant eagle.

Stopped over at the Frenchtown Historic Site (the site of the 1855 Battle of Walla Walla where Cayuse and other local tribespeople were ignobly vanquished) near the Walla Walla River.