Okay, here we go, folks! The year started off on a sad note, as I had to attend the funeral of my cousin Mary's father in Austin. In order to get there in time, I left here at 4:00 in the morning in the inky desert darkness. Somewhere between Sanderson and Del Rio, I took this shot as the sky began to wake up. Looks like it may be time for another dose of coffee.
On my way back home, I happened to look over at just the right time to see this Cactus Wren's nest in a cholla, one of our many varieties of desert cactus out here. What a great find.
This particular photo I happen to call "Pigs In The Yard" although the javelina isn't really a pig at all. It may look like a pig, especially with that snout and all, but due to its elaborate stomach makeup and rather intractable temperament (you won't find any of these guys becoming domesticated), it's really more closely related to a hippopotamus, if you can believe that. They're also sometimes called Musk Hog, due to their rather strong, musky odor that is very reminiscent of a skunk. I still call them pigs, though, especially when they're roaming around in my yard.
Big Bend is the place to be, especially if you're into birding at all. You won't believe this, but I took this shot of a Black-throated Sparrow from the comfort of my chair in the entrance booth. There was a lot of activity in the mesquite tree out front this day.
Okay, everybody wake up their inner child and look closely at this shot, a scene I see every evening on my way home. Does anybody else out there see the Grinch lying down, his mouth open in a snore? Come on, you can do it! I can't not see it anymore. This is actually a silhouette of the Chisos Mountains.
Well, if you couldn't see the Grinch (how could you not?!), maybe you can see this Big Bend Bluebonnet, although it's rare for anybody to see any this time of year. I mean, it's January, for cryin' out loud! Here we have the entire northern realm of the US setting record lows (-50º in Maine, for instance), and we've got bluebonnets peeking their way up in our balmy 80º-and-sunny weather way earlier than anyone's ever seen them. This is just nuts. They aren't up in any great quantities yet, but they're there just the same. Craziness, pure and simple.Well, I guess that'll just about do it for now. I just wanted to give you all a quick tour around the park to launch my brand-new blog in proper fashion. Be sure to add it to your Favorites (that would be Bookmarks to you Mac drivers out there) and be sure to check in from time to time. I won't be announcing new entries unless it's something really earth-shattering. Till next time . . .
