Out walking at 66.2º F and back in my car coming home at 76.6º, the excursion duration was 70 minutes and it was quite a pleasant little walk.
Last week I mentioned a short conversation I had with a gentleman walking his three dogs and we bumped into each other again shortly before I got to the local college campus. My guess is he's a few years older than I am. He didn't remember me at first. I think the dogs did. I asked if I could take a picture of the dogs but discovered I still had my camera set for some macro tripod shots I took indoors, manual mode, with the shutter set for "self timer, 2 seconds." For the life of me, in the bright sun and with distance glasses on, I fumbled resetting the camera and gave up. Here's the picture I ended up taking.
I actually like the photo. I think it captured the experience perfectly.
Pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa, also called pink ladies or Mexican evening primrose). I was kind of surprised to see them blooming again so late in September.
Hentz Orbweaver (Neoscona crucifera), which is also widely known as the Spotted Orbweaver or Barn Spider. This. Was. Difficult. Not for the spider but for the ground I was walking on. This was in the arboretum but campus wide they use large to sometimes very large hard wood arborist mulch and it's often piled on very thick. Stepping over to the spider on uneven ground to begin with, looking up with a close-up lens on top of a 70-300 mm lens, arms outstretched (focus is at 500 mm, 19.68"), the mulch was very unpredictable. Plus, I don't have the greatest sense for balance, never have.
Belly shot. It's a grumpy face.
This is a cycad trunk. This had to be the work of a human. Why? I have no idea. This is not how you remove pups from a cycad. Cycads contain powerful natural toxins—primarily cycasin and BMAA (β-methylamino-L-alanine)—that cause severe liver damage, neurological decline, and gastrointestinal failure in humans and animals. While cycad toxins are dangerous in nature, scientists use them in medical research to study neurodegenerative diseases, map biological pathways, and explore anticancer treatments. In science, highly specific toxins are frequently repurposed as "molecular scalpels" to intentionally disrupt cells in controlled environments. Honestly? I don't want to know.
Here's an unmolested example.
Muskogee Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei 'Muskogee').
Here's a pile of the arborist mulch, just waiting for an opportunity to get under my feet.
The mulch up close.
This was my first warning sign. Within 10-minites of my leaving campus the race began. This was a family event, hosted by the Kidneys Quest Foundation.
I was informed many years ago that this really isn't actually accurate in the job market. It's apparently no longer true about what you know but rather who you know. Just look at the current Republican administration if you want proof of this.
Onto the botanical garden. I'm finally seeing male Calypte anna hummingbirds again. Anna’s hummingbirds don’t migrate but rather practice altitudinal and microclimate shifting, plus they've been molting. Maybe it's an ego thing. A few days ago I did a search in this very blog on the word, "autumn" and found that I was also complaining about the summer lacking in hummingbirds, late summer of 2013.
This little dude is still looking scruffy from his molt.
Just one open flower again, Cereus peruvianus.
Moments later a female Calypte anna showed up in the same spot.
Kind of mysterious.
They were still putting up balloons very close to start time.
On my way back to my car. Posted at the only crosswalk I need to wait for a walk signal. Does this come across as creepy to anyone other than me?
"I've got troubles of my own, " I said
"And you can't help me out, so
Take your meditations and your preparations
And ram it up your snout"
Frank Zappa, Cosmik Debris
Meanwhile...
Can I?
Dabadabado Do-da Mde-de (Hep Do-eh)
Kapatapada Do-vah Do Deh (Hep Do-ah)
Pakatebedoh Umm-be Peh Be-eh Be-eh Be-eh (Hep Do-ah, Hep Do-eh)
We have heaven (Hep Do-ah, Hep Do-eh, Hep Do-ah, Hep Do-eh)
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