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Tuesday, September 10, 2019

The Things you See

Are you brave enough to cross this bridge.......



Wood Duck art installation

Female Red-belling Woodpecker

Monday, September 09, 2019

Happy Anniversary Alan and Amber



I love these people. Just love them. I hope they have somewhere in the neighborhood of a bazillion more happy years together.

I made them a wedding blog last year.....


Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Men at Work


With our son and my brother and his son working in the construction industry...coast to coast and in Canada too.... I find myself most interested in how stuff gets built and repaired. 



Of course the drilling and grouting that they do is especially fascinating, but other aspects of the industry fascinate me as well. We humans are a clever lot and we have taken tool use to amazing levels.



Thus when the rig above pulled into the boat launch parking lot the other day when we were birding I stopped and watched from a comfy pick-a-nick table bench. It was awesome seeing them maneuver that great big boat and huge truck down to the launch and into the water.



How cool is it that the pontoons were up on top when it pulled in and down floating the boat when they launched? The boss says they were lowered hydraulically. I missed seeing that part as they were behind a tree from me.



The rig is designed for bridge repair and inspection and the company that runs it can be found here: Harcon Corp. Some go up 65 FEET! And the boat is described here: Bucket Boat



Didn't see too many great birds that morning, but I was sure glad we stopped. 


Monday, September 02, 2019

Bon Chance

This guy was nomming something extremely dead...so dead that it was stiff and dry
However, he really wanted it and didn't fly until we got closer as we had to go down the road he was on
He flew up onto a branch, which broke under him,
then sat on another branch cleaning dead stuff off his beak and waiting for us to leave.

Who says boys don't wear eyeliner?
Wood Ducks in eclipse plummage

Cooperative Green Heron. He went right on hunting no matter how close I got
or how many photos I snapped.

That's good luck in other words. We had some today in finding birds that were pretty and cooperative about photos. Alas, on the other hand I lost my wedding ring, probably while washing my hands at the Richfield Springs McDonald's. Not an expensive one, but I haz a sad about that for sure.




Sunday, September 01, 2019

Happy Anniversary


To my dear mother and father. Congratulations on 68 years together and on all the adventures you have had. 

Also kudos for the amazing kids you raised not to mention your spectacular collection of grands and great grands. 

A magnum opus indeed! Well done!

Love,

Dotter

Friday, August 30, 2019

Spite Fight


Last week a mid-sized hawk blew into this exact cottonwood tree hollering like mad, then flew before I could get a decent look. 

This morning it was like deja vu all over again, except this time the bird stopped for a photo op. It was after a hundred or Red-winged Blackbirds that were busily hunting bugs up there. 

It missed by a mile and sat there glaring at me for a minute before swooping off across the river, pausing only to dive bomb a passing Ring-billed Gull, screaming all the while.

I actually don't think this is the same bird I saw last week. That one had a very distinctive call that I had never heard before. I believe it was a Red-shouldered Hawk. Sure would have been nice if it had stopped so I could be sure.

Anyhow, this one is a Cooper's Hawk, not a likely candidate for attacking something as big as a gull, but it sure was ticked off. There were probably a thousand or more Red-winged Blackbirds available in nearby trees and the cornfield, so it seems silly that it was so spiteful. 

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Just in Case

I shamelessly stole this from Liz's Facebook page
Photo credit is hers

You get the local paper and read the Farm Side this Friday, the photo above is what kicked it off for me. I had been struggling to find an anchor for the annual Fonda Fair column, and this was it. Shazam! 


Lamb in the living room


Here is the original story of the little lamb with Peggy. My heart just skipped when I saw this shot of the two of them, wandering over at the Ag 2000 barn, no halter, no lead rope, just love to tie them together.

That kid has worked all summer with that little lamb that had such a rough start and it shows. I have many doubts that there will be any ribbons involved in this adventure, but who needs them anyhow when there is so much fun to be had?

Farm kid, right at the heart


And you know what they say about apples? Liz was six when this photo of her unloading her first show heifer, Sonora, at the fair, made the front page of the paper. Meanwhile, back to the keyboard. Deadline looms....






A few years later...

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

I'm Melting


We have experienced some new to us highway repair technology here on 5S the past couple of weeks. It is pretty cool.



Or, er, actually really hot.



Seems they melt the existing, but cracked and bumpy, pavement, remill it, and put it back down.



So far the new surface is a LOT smoother than the old, plus it is quick and efficient, and appears to be cheaper than the usual method of putting down new.



Large scale recycling right before our eyes. Hot in Place Recycling that is. Besides all the other advantages that the system seems to offer, traffic also can move past much easier than in traditional resurfacing wherein so darned many dump trucks are coming and going. Good deal.


Saturday, August 24, 2019

Haunted New York





It's not just ghosts. It's cool, foggy mornings as the sun comes up...each day a little farther south on the eastern horizon behind the hedgerow with the neighbors.

It's the first tomatoes ripening on the vine, racing the blight to make it to the table.

Fall migration staring in earnest with dozens of assorted warblers down at Yankee Hill. 

It's grabbing a flannel shirt now and then and being glad of it.

And scratching "Peggy" in the volunteer pumpkin next to the driveway, and hoping she doesn't spot it until it's big. 

Yeah, it's not just ghosts...we are being haunted by Fall and it's coming fast and spooky.

Bambi and Bambino

Hmmmm....smells like water, but I am just not sure...



Oooh, it IS water!

Be careful now, junior.....



Come to frolic on the long lawn and drink from the bird bath.