Simply Belle

As I was pulling into the driveway, coming from work, I chanced upon a bird on top of the pine tree. I knew it wasn’t a common bird that I normally see in my yard. It was a bird of prey. My husband has been wanting a photo of a hawk for a long time but we can never get close enough to get a good shot.

I parked the car hurriedly in the garage since these chances don’t last long. I left my belongings in the car, went inside, ignored mango’s squawking for attention, and headed directly to the bedroom where the camera was. I quickly slapped on the 300 zoom lens as it was impossible to get close to the hawk, and I immediately took off–exiting through the garage. Huh! The hawk disappeared! He must have heard/known that I was coming to photo shoot him. I was utterly disappointed!

A few minutes later, my husband and I went for a walk in the Green Valley park. I suggested that we take the camera just in case we see something interesting worth taking on our walk. At first, he was against the idea, but somehow, I managed to convince him. As we were pulling out of the driveway, the hawk returned to his post. It was a good thing my camera was ready and loaded. I went out of the car and gingerly walk closer to the hawk. I wasn’t sure how far he would allow me to approach him. I took several shots as if they were my only chance. I walked closer and closer and closer. And miraculously, he was still allowing me to snap pictures despite of my proximity. I was never that close to a hawk before. I was so keyed up but tried to maintain my composure. My husband was watching inside the car, from afar, and holding his breath. Finally, the hawk has had enough of me and flew away.

Then, we drove to the park to take our afternoon walk. The park is only a mile away from home. I was very much looking forward to seeing the igret that frequents the lake every afternoon. I didn’t mind hauling the heavy camera at all. Lo and behold, I saw a white silhouette from a distance. It was an igret! How lucky could I get? It looked like he sensed I was coming to take photos of him. I was very cautious in approaching–trying to avoid any sudden movements. Fortunately, he allowed me to get close enough to photograph him. I was awed by his beauty and elegance. Indeed, today is my lucky day.

And not far from the igret, posed the blue heron, almost invisible because of his camouflage. My husband spotted him first. I crossed the road and slowly walked close enough to be able to take decent pictures. I could tell he didn’t approve of me getting close. The closer I got, the farther he went away. I was lucky enough that he allowed me to take a couple of shots.

My husband took a picture of these wild geese. Soon, they will disappear and move towards south where the weather is warmer.

At the end of our walk, we were saluted with this fiery sunset.

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Green Valley Park Sunset

Tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day from Great Britain. It is a federal holiday so I get to have a day off. Hurray! We will have a barbeque party with few of my friends and watch the fireworks in Green Valley Park from our front porch (if and only if the wind stays calm.)

Happy Fourth of July for those living in the US!

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Zherwin said that the best time to photograph sunset is within half an hour before and after sunset. For some reasons though, our afternoon walk or evening walk, for that matter, is always too late for the perfect sunset photography. It is because we try to wait until the sun is no longer intense for a leisurely walk and by then it is too late for picture taking.

Yesterday, however, we drove to the park instead of walking so we might have gotten there in perfect timing for the sunset. Of course, everyday is a learning experience for me and am sure in time I will get better. But for now, enjoy the pictures that I managed to capture.

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Took this picture when we walked along the lake at twilight.
Yesterday late afternoon, my daughter S and I took advantage of the free concert at the park. The very popular local band, Junction 87, with its mix of classic, country, and a little rock and roll was performing, which I have yet to watch. Daughter A was not able to join us as she got invited to a birthday party. Said, she would look for us in the park if she chose to come home early. Of course, she didn’t make it.

We took folding chairs, the camera, of course, and extra clothes in case it got too cold. I noticed it wasn’t as crowded as the last week’s concert when Buddy Holly look alike, Mike Randall, inspired the crowd with ’50’s rock. The first question I asked my husband, who accompanied me that time, was ” Is he Buddy Holly?” From afar, there was a big resemblance especially with his black-rimmed glasses characteristic of the famous singer.

Anyway, S and I sat there for a while while I was taking pictures here and there. Half an hour later, when the sun faded over the horizon, we both agreed to pack and take a relaxing walk around the area instead. I would have better visibility of the crowd, and the horizon this way than sitting on the chair watching. I guess it is one way of saying that the music was not our cup of tea but it sounded good! The crowd was loving them.

Here are the pictures that I took at the concert. As you can see, the grass is a little bit on a greenish brown side. Well, for one thing, we haven’t had a trace of rain in a long while since March which is typical of Arizona. Hopefully, we’ll expect rain around July when the summer monsoon is due to arrive.

This bull dog was part of the crowd, too.

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Lexie and I have been walking along the lake lately. We usually circle the lake two to three times; one circle is equivalent to one mile. I normally don’t take the camera when I go for a walk because the kind I have is huge and heavy, which can be a drag. This afternoon, I opted to take my camera with my sights set on photographing Lexie and some interesting scenes in the park. I have never really captured good photos of my daughter because she disliked being photographed in the past. Now, at least, she is accommodating. Hallelujah!

The lake and the park are so beautiful and are just perfect for a leisurely tranquil walk. Even the goose was having fun, and didn’t mind being snapped. I remember one time, when a goose took a fancy of my husband. The goose tried pulling my husband’s trousers as if he was trying to lead S out into the water. And every time we tried to come around or near my husband, the goose chased us away with his long neck stretched out, honking and hissing. When my husband tried to get away from him (goose) by walking around the lake, he took a short cut across the water and intercepted my husband. It was so bizarre! From that experience, Lexie made sure she kept her distance from the silly goose.

Overall, it was a lovely afternoon and I am sure we are going to have more of this walk comes this summer with my two lovely girls and my husband.

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On our walk this morning, I thought of bringing the digital camera along to capture some routine scenes along the way. This lake is within walking distance from our house. It is a beautiful man-made lake. Of course, all lakes in Arizona are man-made except for one. This particular lake, however, uses reclaimed wastewater. It is planted with trout, crappie, and sunfish. People from different places come and fish in this lake.

This afternoon, I saw a kid catch a large trout about 14 inches long. He was happy and excited! He proudly showed his trophy catch to his grandpa who was situated on the other side of the lake, who, also, was fishing.

To fish in this lake, an adult is required to have a license, otherwise, if you are caught, you are fined. The license costs US$16.00 and is good for a year. However, kids, ages 14 years old and below (not sure) are free. When my children were little, we used to go fishing here. It was fairly easy to catch a limit. I cleaned them good and fried them until they were crispy. It was a good treat!

Payson, by the way, is located about 90 miles northeast of Phoenix. It is where the mountains meet the desert. It has the largest Ponderosa Pine forest in the country. One thing I like about Payson is, it has four seasons so there are so many things to do and and see all year round from golfing, hunting, fishing, and camping. It is one of the free ozone places in the US.

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