Eat Your Hearts Out...

No, this is not yet another post about eating! Just thought we'd show you folks up north and especially in the Northwest, and the great plains, what our weekend was like. It was sooooo nice we went to the beach and collected seashells. It's still nice.. it's been in the 70's since last Thursday, and it's going to stay warm until the weekend. These scenes are the beach on the Gulf of Mexico West of Gulf Shores. But the rain will be here Thursday, so I'm going to be out of here tomorrow, happy that the "travelblog" has been caught up. Web albums are updated at http://picasaweb.google.com/home.

Hunting With Dutch

In between the Turkey Run and the ASFA Region 4 Invitational, we managed to squeeze in a little hunting with Dutch Salmon. It was brief, but there were lots and lots of rabbits. None more photogenic than this guy.

I think I've mentioned this before, but the jackrabbits in Southern New Mexico almost never give you an opportunity to get a shot like this. They generally just run... away, leaving the photographer with just their, and the hounds', butts... receding into the distance. This was rare. (and if you've seen our Christmas card this year, I'll bet you'll find this guy familiar!)

Fanny, and Dutch's Angie, and the hare all make the turn for the fence.

Angie closing in.

...and Fanny goes for it. Swing and a miss!

One Big Bird

Sometimes I wish I had the expensive camera and lens with me when we take the dogs into the desert. Then I think about what all that fine dust would do to it, and I'm glad I take the cheaper (and lighter) setup into this environment.

All this to apologise for the quality of this shot I got of one of a pair of Golden Eagles I saw when I took Randir and Buffy out to look for some slow jackrabbits. When I first got out of the car, it was sitting on the ground and I thought it was a vulture. Then it took off. Unmistakeable.



The Buffster and the Oldster did get to run around eventually, although there were no jackrabbits. And I did wait until this giant raptor had moved well out of range.

Your Tax Dollars at Work.

See that line of white tower sections? On the left side is Interstate 8 in California, approaching Yuma. On the other side is... you guessed it: Mexico.

Yeah... that'll keep 'em out.

Calling All Amateur (or Professional) Botanists.

After the Turkey Run, we spent the evening parked at the home of a deerhound owner a little north of San Diego. Among the lush flora of their yard was this "alien being". The homeowner doesn't know what it is. Anybody out there help?

The Bird of Paradise at the bottom is just a bonus shot, because it's very pretty.

A Day at the Bosque.

No trip to Socorro is complete without at least one trip around the auto tour route of the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in nearby San Antonio. Here are just a few of my favorite shots: I'll make a web album with a few more and post a link later.

Light Goose Feeding Frenzy

A Prairie Falcon

Distinguished Uninvited Guests

Crane Landing, or Ballet?

On the Road.

To Review: Way back in October, we shot the ASFA Region 6 Invitational. That was followed a week later by the LGRA & NOTRA OB Nationals, which was followed 2 weeks later by the Region 9 Invitational. We then made the loooooong trek- in 5 days- to Albuquerque, for the Region 3 Invitational, and a TCC hunt, also in New Mexico, the following weekend. That gave us three days to get to Los Alamitos, CA (no easy feat!), and then 5 days to scuttle back East to Hutto, TX for the Region 4 Invitational. By this point, we were so good at this, we stopped for a couple of days in Deming, NM and went hunting with Dutch Salmon. Another week, and we were in Tallahassee for an ACC trial. We're currently in "vacation" mode, in Summerdale, AL, at the Rainbow Plantation RV Park until it's time to head for Atlanta for Christmas, then the year end GANG trials in Cartersville. Along the way, we had a lot of fun, and lots of good eats. We'll follow up as time permits, with photos, travelogues, and food reviews.

And if only it would end there, but like sharks, we have to keep moving to stay alive. We're going to head back West to Louisiana for an AKC trial in January, then we're going to make it all the way back to New Mexico for a real vacation. We'll be at Dutch's Pack Hunt in January, and his Desert Hare Classic in February. In between, we'll play like touristas and take lots of pictures, and maybe even go to Old Mexico and do some shopping... get some real good Tequila.

For those who have been counting that's across the country one, two, two-and-a-half times in a couple of months. Like it says on the map: Insane.