September 2012

Carrion Luggage

Carrion Luggage

I walked down the driveway yesterday to see if there was any mail on the post box. While i peered in to see id there was anything there, a large shadow passed over me. I looked up just in time to see a couple of large Turkey Buzzards swooping down onto the road a hundred feet or so to the east. I took out my little camera from my pocket and walked toward the birds and saw that they were *very* interested in the carcass of a cottontail rabbit on the road.

These guys are really ugly, aren’t they? The rabbit carcass is on the road just to the right of the bird in the shadow. Click on the image to enlarge.

A Colorful Butterfly

A Colorful Butterfly

I saw dozens of butterflies swarming around some lantana bushes outside of the retirement ranch in town. I got out of the truck and took several photos of them browsing the flowers hoping that I would be able to get one like this. Click on the image to enlarge.

Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire

I received this message today from Ray Carter of the Second Amendment Foundation:

Second Amendment FoundationIn the last 15 days, supporters of the 2nd Amendment pledged [over] $15,000 for support of the important new film “Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire” that exposes California as the front line in the civil rights battle between public safety and the 2nd Amendment. The Second Amendment Foundation and the Calguns Foundation have each contributed $5,000.00 to get this project off the ground.

Please go to http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/assaulted/assaulted and make your pledge now.

Ray asked us to let readers of Cap’n Bob & the Damsel know about the project even though we have already put similar posts on the other blog.

Peak Near Castle Hot Springs

Peak Near Castle Hot Springs

After shopping in Surprise today, we took a drive up toward Castle Hot Springs. The area up there is a beautiful Sonoran Desert saguaro forest with teddy bear cholla, compass cactus and prickly pear among the usual creosote and mesquite.

This was our first trip up castle Hot Springs Road. The first mile or so of the road north of SR 74 is paved, but then it becomes an unimproved, but properly graded road. As we got near to the top of the road, I was able to get a closer photo of this peak. The peak is visible from US 60 and we have posted pictures of it before, but this image frames the peak as seen from the saguaro forest below. Click on the image to enlarge.

Hieroglyph Mountains

Hieroglyph MountainsWhen we take the short walk down the road in front of our house, we can see the hieroglyph Mountain Range, just east of Wickenburg. On any given day, under different weather conditions, these mountains can look a thousand different colors and textures. Click on the image to enlarge.