Rob's blog: February has arrived...

Sunday, February 2, 2014

February has arrived...

Today is February 2nd, Ground Hog day. I wonder if the little critter saw or did not see its shadow. I cannot remember if he does, do we have more winter or do we not? Seems like winter out there. I woke to a world that had been touched by a very light dusting of snow. It has continued to be on the chilly side with intermittent flakes of snow. Nothing is sticking, which I am sure is making the school aged children sad. No closing of school for them.

Yesterday, I went out with a couple of friends to take photos of cardinals…like in the bird. In New Mexico? I never heard of them around this area. Nonetheless, I went with them, hopes high. We drove past Dexter, and Hagerman onto, well, it did not even seem much like a road. If you used your imagination, maybe you could see some tracks where a truck may have been. We parked, then hiked for about 1/4 mile. My friends brought a hunting blind that you sort snapped, and poof, there was the blind. Pretty neat. It was like a miniature tent with no bottom. They had two camping chairs. Wow, it was pretty nice. All we had to do was sit, and wait for the birds, and pick out the stickers that got stuck in our jeans as we walked through the brush. Here's what we walked through.

After about an hour, my friend's husband got out, so we could take some photos with backlighting. (By the way, he let us girls sit in the chairs, he sat in the dirt…a real gentleman). He was standing there when here came the birds. He had to hurry back into the blind. We should have had him get out sooner.

Can you believe it…a cardinal. Gary, my friend's husband, said these are called Tucson Cardinals. I looked them up, and their official name is Cardinalis sinuatus. Pretty things. Yes, Cardinals. Amazing.