Happy Mother's Day

I wish all of you moms out there a Happy Mother's Day!

I wanted Donna to have a special day, so I dragged her out of bed early and hauled her to the state park for a 5 mile walk. I don't want her getting soft on me; I have to make sure she stays healthy. After the walk, I took her back home so she could be a good mother and cook me a good lunch. She's one lucky gal.

Seriously, Donna and I don't pay much attention to holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries much any more. Sure, we remember to say something to one another. But local restaurants are always crowded on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day and such, so we avoid them. Instead, we find a time a day or two before or after for our celebration. Donna and I will go out tomorrow to a place of her choice. I'm looking forward to it. I hope she picks a place I like; I don't want to go someplace and have to eat rabbit food, but I will if I have to.

I'll leave you with some more pictures I've taken lately. These were taken either in our backyard or during our latest walk at the state park. What better way to spend a special day than in one of our lovely state parks!

We have a scissor tail that visits often, and it likes to sit atop this same pole by the street.

I've written before about the killdeers that visit every spring and produce a family. A few weeks ago, I was able to watch both parents and 3 babies regularly. Lately, though, I've only seen the chick (left) and parent (right) shown above. I guess something got the rest of them.

We were only a half mile or so into our walk at the park early this morning when we came across this little cottontail. He stayed still until we were almost upon him.

The Highland Range is a subdivision that backs up to the park. The road we walk on in the park passes the backyards of several houses, including the one above. We think this structure is probably a green house. The black thing in front is a cistern to catch water from the roof of the small structure. I would estimate the cistern is 250 gallons or so.

There were quite a few folks at the park this morning. Some were jogging, some were riding bicycles, and some were just relaxing. It was overcast, and that helped hold the temps down, though it was a bit more humid than normal. I snapped these two jogging nearby on Red Dam, a small dam inside the park.

This is one of the campgrounds in the park. The oak trees are a rarity in the park. You can see a bit of the lake on the left as well as the O C Fisher Dam in the background. We often walk on that dam.

I spotted these black vultures sitting in the top of a dead mesquite. That is the O C Fisher Dam in the background and a bit of the lake as well. I think these guys spotted us and expected us to collapse. Buzzards tend to follow us a lot these days. I wonder why?

Can you see the cottontail in this picture? it is dead center. Donna spotted him near the end of our walk. He blends into his surroundings nicely, doesn't he.

This is the campground Donna and I always stayed in when we had a trailer. It lacks the larger oak trees, though it has numerous mesquites. It is also within range of the WiFi on the nearby bathhouse. 

In addition to the animals shown above, we also spotted a large jackrabbit, a road runner, and numerous birds, including a woodpecker and a bird with a yellowish/orange chest.