Well, howdy everyone! I'll bet you thought I'd up and disappeared off into the desert, or something like that. No, I've just been too busy being lazy to sit down and tell you about it. There have been some exciting things going on, though, and this was one of them -- an aerial photo shoot of a Beechcraft T-34A Mentor decked out in the color scheme of the USAF Thunderbirds. Pretty cool, huh? Oh, yeah!
Of course, not everything in life is so action-packed as an aerial photo shoot, nor should it be. Sometimes, it can be as quiet and simple as enjoying the effect of a desert full moon cascading upon your trailer home during one of our frequent blackouts in this area, as in this shot here. (Interior illumination courtesy of oil lantern and candles.) I was amazed at how much light was outside, considering it was around 4:30 in the morning when I took this shot. It was so dark, the autofocus in my camera had a hard time finding its target, but I managed a couple of nice shots from it.
While we're on the subject of moons (or just "the moon" I suppose), here's a shot I just couldn't pass up while opening the Visitor Center one morning. There was just something so captivating about the clouds moving around the moon, I just had to have it. 
Then one day on the way back from my grocery run in Alpine, I decided I just couldn't stand it anymore and had to trek out the five miles south of Marathon to see what The Post everybody talks about was all about. (Fort Peña Colorado is its real name; an old Buffalo Soldier camp.) I was expecting a fort of some sort, but none was to be had, I'm afraid. What we have now is a huge picnic area, perfect for a family outing or a social event. I just missed a cabrito (goat) cook-off here, due to my chronic forgetfulness that seems to get worse as time goes on. Don't get me started on that subject!
And here we have the El Quack-o Greeting Committee, three white ducks that greeted me and followed me around the place almost the whole time I was here. I'd forgotten how funny ducks can be in their simpleminded hunt for a handout. They were great company.
And while I was down at this end of the park, I thought I'd take a shot looking back toward the parking lot. It's really a nice place to bring the kiddos for a romp in the outdoors, or to just bring yourself when you want to get away from life in the big city -- Marathon (pop. 455). 
Then, on the way out, I came across these two horses who seemed posed for a photo, so I backed up and gave them a shot or two. They never ventured far from each other the whole time I clicked away.
As I said, they were pretty close, so here's a somewhat normal shot for the series. Horses are funny critters, too.
And for the last shot of the series, we have our two equine subjects posing as a Pushmi-pullyu from Dr Doolittle. Not a bad job of it, either, I might say.
And now, for something a little more graphic in nature, we have this morning light show I caught while dressing for a little hike up the Persimmon Gap Draw Trail. What we're seeing here are the shadows of my bedroom's miniblinds caused by the reflection of the morning sun bouncing off Pepe's hood criss-crossed by the rays of the sun coming in through the blinds. Quite fascinating, I thought.
But soon it was time to get down to business, which for today was a hike up the Persimmon Gap Draw Trail, which I've never done the whole time I've worked here. I'd gotten a report of excessive amounts of thorny things along the draw that turned back a couple wearing shorts, so I decided it was time to put on my Trail Crew hat again and have a look for myself. Armed with a pair of hand pruners and a folding saw, I hit the dusty draw in search of the offending plantlife. Before heading out, I rebuilt the cairn seen here under the little creosote bush, marking the trailhead. The said offending plantlife would turn out to be none other than our old friend, the catclaw (acacia greggii), the bush you see just beyond the creosote bush.
And here we have a close-up of this nastiest of nasty bushes, whose common name "catclaw" is very well-deserved, I think. Its thorns look exactly like catclaws and are every bit as sharp, too. I once had one rip my favorite shirt to shreds, with three long gashes diagonally across the back. It looked like something out of Jurassic Park when it was all done. Luckily for me, none of the thorns achieved skin. I wouldn't be so lucky on this little outing.
Well, I got so wrapped up in my endeavor (literally!), I never thought to include before-and-after photos of my work, not even of the catclaw bush completely traversing the trail. That would've been perfect. At any rate, we're finally here at the pouroff, which incidentally, is not the end of the trail. Apparently I missed a turn just back down the trail, which was poorly marked. It looks like a return trip is in order. Anyway, this was the end of the trail for me this time around, and a welcome end for this outing. All the shade was very nice, but the flies finally drove me out after a while. They seemed quite interested in all the fresh cuts along my arms and wouldn't go away no matter how much I swatted. 
And there was a pretty nice view from here, too, although I've heard the view from above is much better. Oh, well. This one would have to do for today; I'll get to the other one on my next trip. I did -- and suffered -- enough damage for one day. The long, white thing you see off in the distance are the new apartments at Persimmon Gap, or will be if they ever get finished. (You can click on the picture for a larger view.)
Just so you'll know what to expect if and when you go up against acacia greggii, here's a testament to its effectiveness. Next time I'm bringing loppers to keep from having to reach so far into the bush to get at it. They would've been a big help, believe me.
And so, to end on a more soothing note, here's a shot I took the following day on my way to work I call "Twister Moon." Unfortunately, I had someone behind me when I first saw this phenomenon and couldn't pull over right away, so the moon is a little off-center, but the effect is still there. It's amazing the things you see sometimes. So, dear friends, I guess that's just about all for this time around. Thanks for stopping in.
