Today's walk report: 022814

Rainbow connection.

One month ago I met someone over a rainbow connection. Someone I hadn't spoken to in about 42 years innocently wrote this to me in playful conversation after watering her garden...

"I know that this sounds totally corny, but the butterfly's all come out to play in the water, and depending on where the sun is, I make rainbows for them..."

My response was a smile and a reply with this image from a walk report dated February 28th, 2013, one year ago today!

From the Facebook era of the walk report.

I just told her this and her reply was the same as her reply above. I've never had such a powerful connection with anyone and to top it off she has become my best friend in life.

Today marks one month since we've reconnected and today's walk was once again highlighted by a rainbow connection. I love you Docken!

Today's walk report: 022314

More photos with Docken.

Blue hibiscus (Alyogyne huegelii), again.

 Sedum acre.

Needs ID, tree on the edge of the pond.

Pelargonium flowers by Docken.
 

Shot by me. I claim the 5th.

Docken's tree. She's out of her tree over me.

Today's walk report: 022114

Skipping days and purple haze.

For the most part I've been really consistent in my devotion to posting something (almost anything) regarding my daily constitutional since April 19, 2013. I made some effort to explain this here that very day. Recently things have changed and the report has taken somewhat of a back seat to the new found significance of having a walk companion. I don't know exactly how to convey the importance of this new found love nor do I care to. I'm just making a rather insufficient excuse for why I've been skipping days. I haven't been skipping walks though, I've just got company and the compulsiveness of finding subject matter for every walk is now dwarfed by the magnitude of what's really going on. Yes, it's love in the third degree.

Today was another 1st. Docken also brought a camera along. It's my Canon T3i and the sensor is a mess but it's still good to learn with and she seems to be having fun. I've got a camera buddy! See two contributions below.

Onto the photos...

Carpenter bee and honey bee.

Blue hibiscus, Alyogyne huegelii

Docken's Palo Verde shot.

You may use your imagination.

Docken's bunny creation...

Female Anna's hummingbird.

This prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) is now the regular here at sunset, displacing a pair of crows I've seen for 3 years.

Purple haze...

and sunset.

Thanks for joining us!

Today's walk report: 021814

My gift to you.

Merry Christmas.

8.25 km (5.13 miles)

A pause, to kiss and kiss again.

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.
~Ingrid Bergman~

Today's walk report: 021714

Sunset walk.

After a few days of hardy walking we decided to do a nice short walk, 5.3 km (3.29 miles), and recuperate a bit.

We said hi to a couple of neighborhood cats and discussed people who are still inclined to consider domestics felines as outdoor pets. If you love your cat make it an indoor pet. Follow this link so you can understand this if you don't already know.

From Wikipedia

The folklore surrounding black cats varies from culture to culture. In Great Britain, black cats are seen as lucky and are often given in token form to brides. The Scottish believe that a strange black cat's arrival to the home signifies prosperity. In Celtic mythology, a fairy known as the Cat Sìth takes the form of a black cat. Black cats are also considered good luck in Japan. Furthermore, it is believed that a lady who owns a black cat will have many suitors. However in Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens, specifically being suspected of being the familiars of witches, and so most of western and southern Europe considers the black cat a symbol of bad luck, especially if one crosses paths with a person, which is believed to be an omen of misfortune and death. In Germany, some believe that black cats crossing a person's path from right to left, is a bad omen. But from left to right, the cat is granting favorable times.

Onto the sunset...

and for Docken, here's what was on the other side.

Today's walk report: 021614

Sunday double header.

Say what?!?

That's right, starting with a very quiet late A.M. matinée walk to the garden...

Gulf Fritillary or Passion Butterfly (Agraulis vanillae) on Lantana.

I named these two Eric and Docken.

Then there were the turtles again. Which one is Yertle?

These two, I named Eric and Docken.

Unknown moth on Tagetes lemmonii.

This is an unknown, I'll ID later, I promise. These flowers are tiny. Shot at 300 mm with a Canon 500D close-up lens.

Some variety of Banksia, an Australian native.

More Tagetes lemmonii.

Possibly a Wrentit. There were 4 of them, drove me nuts trying to get a shot off.

The mallards flew in midway into our visit. I named them Eric and Docken. It just seemed fitting.

Some aloe. I was testing how close I could get without a Canon Speedlite 430EX II.

Bee on Cistus x hybridus, aka, White Rockrose.

More Cistus x hybridus.

Delosperma cooperi.

Special request from Docken.

Back home from walk #1 and another Docken request. This rose bush has always been in front of my house it's almost 60 years old.

Walk #2...

We decided to do an early evening walk to catch the sunset.

As it turned out, most of our entertainment came from these two calves way down below the hillside we were sitting on. They were frolicking quite a bit but the real fun came when they both took off after a nearby gaggle of geese which were grazing in the same field. It was a lot funnier than you might imagine.

Sorry about the picture quality but I wasn't anticipating something like that.

Meanwhile... not the most spectacular sunset but we enjoyed it.

Today's walk report: 021514

The turtles are back!

No, not the 60's band that did the song Happy Together...

I think this means we can officially kiss winter goodbye in Southern California because the red-eared slider turtles know what's up.

Meanwhile, until a short while ago I was much more inclined to spend my evening hours pulling together photos, making post production edits, etc. and do this report but now I'm in love like I've never been before and want to get back to her. So, no stories. I'll simply leave you with some pictures. I hope you like them. We had a very pleasant walk into the early evening. I so enjoy my new companion. It's a whole new "ball game" sharing my walks with someone I love.

Blue hibiscus, alyogyne huegelii.

Ozothamnus diosmifolius, or Rice Flower.

Purple iris.

 ID forthcoming... Maybe.

Tip of the eucalyptus.

My reflection in her eye. <sigh>

I can't see me lovin' nobody but you for all my life...

Today's walk report: 021414

Full moon Valentine's.

A really special Valentine's Day walk with my love.