Parking Guard

We had a temporary parking guard watching out for our employee only lot. Can you see it? Fantastic little praying mantis.

Here is another shot of the little dude.

Day 341: Pond

I had a had a half day with one of my girlfriends yesterday. We had a cocktail and lunch at a Mexican restaurant and she treated me to a pedicure with shellac on the toes (more on that later).

After running around town we came to the farm so she could practice the manual settings on her fancy camera. What we learned, nature is not very convenient.

Dragonflies and birds are a tease, turtles are too smart to surface near us, and goats are buck wild at best. Still, she got some great shots and she is learning her camera better and better.

Me and my android phone took wide pictures of the pond, photos of photographer and soaked as much sun and warmth in as possible.
I hope today is just as beautiful as yesterday.

Day 340: Cherry Tree Bloomin’

The cherry tree by the goat pen makes a brief but beautiful appearance every spring. I can already see some brancehes with leaves emerging. Yesterday only a few branches were blooming, so I guess I caught the perfect time on camera.

Who can look at nature and not be a part of it? I snuggled up to the tree and got some pictures of myself too.

Love, love, love our cherry tree. I just wish it would stay like this for longer, or perhaps make some cherries to eat. Ornamental fruit trees always leave me hungry.

Day 333: Raffy Bat

This is the Rafenesque’s big-eared bat at one of the cave entrances. Hope this helps: Raw-fin-nesk. If you think the Raffy’s common name is a mouth full then go ahead and Google their scientific name. I have a scientist buddy who spits them out without hesitation. Oh, to be a bat scientist.

I was ecstatic that I got to see him/her because I hadn’t seen one on person.

I have several awful pictures of me grinning widely just below him. Typically, me and self-portraits don’t have good results.

Even though four tours have been passing by this bat daily, he can’t be bothered.

Here’s a close up of the little beauty. He has one ear unfurled so he can listen to the world turn. You can see why they are called the big-eared bat.

Day 167: Big and Green

Found this monster caterpillar just outside my front door. I’m not sure what possessed him to hang out on brickwork.

I’m not sure the exact species but tthis big fellow is almost certainly a herbaceous. There is no vine or greenary climbing my brick walls.

He came. He inched. And then he left.
This guy was really wild and surprising because as I came out the door he was at eye height.

Sometimes you have to go a long way to find nature and sometimes nature comes crawling up your doorframe