Sally and I walked the Greenway Trail along a small portion of Granite Creek near downtown Prescott yesterday and we took Barney. Although, it was more of a stroll on a sunny, warm afternoon through a park, it gave me pause to think what this creek must have been like before Prescott was founded in 1863. And now what is left of its natural setting. Nonetheless, we still had a great afternoon strolling along from Granite Park to the Junior High School and back. Barney definitely loved the walk, it was a new one for him.
I do not like being sick! The plans I had this week-end went by the wayside when a bit of a cold drug me down. Sniffles, well more like snot running out of a tap, my nose, aches, sluggish, just plain moving on impulse power this weekend. So much so, yesterday after coming home from work, I cowered in my easy chair and slept most of the afternoon away and decided to take it easy this morning instead of heading out for an early photo shoot. However, did take a shot of an African Violet my wife has in her studio this afternoon. Had to feel productive and creative.
Today, March 15th, '14 Sally and I took a much needed day hike on trail # 161, the Huckaby Trail. Smack in the Sedona, Red Rock, Oak Creek area of Arizona. And Barney our dog tagged along with us. It was nice, although I did not dress for the occasion, it was a bit warmer than I anticipated. The trail offered a bit of a challenge with slight up and down hill climbs to make it interesting. But ended nicely at Midgley Bridge on Highway 89A just north of Sedona and Oak Creek passing through. Barney loved that.
I brought two of my cameras. One the ol' steady 'Canyon' veteran the Canon SX280HS I used while Sally and I was working our way to Midgley Bridge. The photos and videos I will use to make my You Tube video. The Canon t3i I saved for the trip on the way back and I think I may have made a mistake using it at the time of day, early to mid afternoon, and that really isn't a good time for taking photo's of landscaping. Especially that of Red Rock country. So I played around during the hike and used a ND8 filter shooting a scene of Oak Creek and Midgley Bridge in the background with the intent of making Oak Creek looking frothy. Make the small rapids stand out. And for the hike back I used a rotating polarize filter to soften the glare of the afternoon sun. I hope.
Having said that we'll see when I load the computer up later with the photographs. I'm in the process of bringing a new CPU on line.
FOLLOW-UP MARCH 16TH, 2014
Finally had an opportunity today to review the 67 photo’s I had taken yesterday on the Huckaby Trail. I can say the afternoon sun was indeed harsh for photo’s in the Red Rock country. However, I did find seven favorite and one I am considering titling ‘ A Fence No More’.
We do not know what killed Minerva, the veterinarian on duty explained Minerva did not appear to have suffered from trauma of a vehicle hitting her; however, she was exhibiting signs of having maybe drink some antifreeze common among feral cats and some dogs. Sally and I soaked in this knowledge, my mind, thoughts, feelings did not want to go beyond the possibilities of just that. Minerva in her wondering found a puddle of coolant under a vehicle and lapped some up; unknowingly, poisoning herself. And we had two kittens, Wilburforce (aka Furr Ball) and Runt, our favorites, unaccounted for.
A deep sadness sank in our hearts when we gave the vet permission to euthanize Minerva. Sally and I stayed with her in a quiet office, stroking her soft fur, when it dawned on me this was the first time Minerva had anyone hold and pet her. And even now as I type this, it tears, rips, and crushes my heart to think about. Knowing especially, I felt, Sally and I were so close to domesticating Wilburforce and Runt for possible adoption.
That has been our goal ever since our six black cats had moved onto our front porch and made a home of our home. Yavapai Humane Society would not take them as feral cats; nevertheless, they had an awesome program called ‘Barn Cat’.
In short, after Sally and I discussed it, she set her sights with some help to catch and have our black cats spayed or neuter and released back at our home. A win, win. We didn’t have to worry about new kittens and our six black cats could stay with us. We would take responsibilities for them. Sally worked so hard to catch them and at this time we still have one, Houdini, that needs to be caught. He’s the wily slick one. In addition, elderly friends of ours down the street have been working with Sally with their crop of feral cats.
Having said all this, I want to share that over the last several months our family of black cats have become our family members, each with different personalities and antics, all with the lust for life. We lost four of the six and now we have another one, a gnarly, battled scared, one eye black cat we named Moshe (aka Ghost). And so I want to close by saying have your family pets spayed or neutered. Keep your area cleared of anything that is poison. And have fun with them.
In our back yard we have two plum trees and a apricot tree. They are blooming! In Arizona’s late winter. Over the past couple of weeks Sally and I have watched our fruit trees; in addition to, the trees in and around our neighborhood coming out and blooming. I do admit, I am concerned about this mild winter of ours this year.
However, this morning with the temperature around 38 degrees, and just before the sun popped over the horizon, I took this picture. Enjoy.
They arrived uninvited around Halloween, and at first I ignore them; hopeful they would not set up camp, make their selves at home, just simply move on as a band of nomad's to a better place, and I would forget about their passing through. They did not! Instead, the six black cats, three kittens and three adults set up residence at our home.
Who could blame them. Clearly, they are as sharp as a tack when I come home from work and they would scatter in all four direction under our large front porch. They found the perfect home to suit them, their needs, desires and wants. With bird feeder and bird bath nearby just in our front yard and cover below our porch they found a home that offered food, water, and shelter. So during the first couple of weeks, I was so hoping they would move on to greener pasture in the neighborhood. Still, I observed them with interest; akin to that of being a zoologist.
Sally and I talked about our uninvited guests often and so she began her research. As an animal lover with allergies, she wanted to see what she could do to find them homes and who could blame her. It soon became clear our front yard was not only their playground scaring all the birds away, it is their toilet as well. And this put a tremendous damper on Sally's plans to landscape our front yard and now spending more time cleaning up after them.
As in any clan, family, pack of animals there seems to always be a runt. And in this tribe of black cats they had theirs. One day I watched as two of the stronger kittens hopped up the bird bath to drink the water. The runt, skinny, slow, but trying, could not achieve what his siblings could do. It tugged at my heart strings and with Sally's blessing, I began to bring some water out to them and not long after hard cat food. I named the first of six cats. 'Runt'.
And so welcome to my blog where today I opened the 'Pets and Shadows Gallery' of photographs with our pets and the world of shadows, feral cats and maybe a stray dog or two at http://chuckables.artistwebsites.com/ Please browse through my galleries , enjoy, and don't forget half the sales from “Pets and Shadows' I will donate to the Yavapai Humane Society and The Humane Society.
