Tuesday's Errands

Last night's moon

Regular hike this morning with Dr. K and Willow.  When we returned to the house I checked the air in Dr. K's tires and filled them.

Went shopping at Albertsons a bit later.  Got a full week's supply of groceries.  Heading to the checkout area I discovered that none of the lanes had checkout workers staffing them.

Found out from a young woman who works there that all the checkouts were malfunctioning; the self-service lanes were open, though, and she checked me out on one of those.  What's oddly funny is I had a bizarre dream last night about shopping at a dysfunctional Albertsons.

This & next:  interesting cloud this morning

Picacho "Peak"

Down LDR-A

Upper flatland road

This & next:  two views of the same scene

Yucca monster

Hill west of the Organs

Organ Mountains

This & next:  not a tornado

Hint of a rainbow

Last 2:  Tortugas Mountain

Moon Day Threesome

Soaptree Yucca spent seed pods

We three did our regular hike this morning; and even though we saw a pickup truck parked at the Tellbrook/Sonoma Ranch corner lot we saw nobody else out in the desert.

After we returned from our trek I took the Jeep over to PetSmart to buy Willow some grub, and then I walked from there to Michaels to purchase two large tubes of titanium white acrylic paint.  I've been redoing an old painting I finished in 2001, one whose "finished" product I've never been happy with.

This & next:  Willow resting in the shadow of a yucca

Barrel cactus

Over the ridge the Organ Mountains

Mama and two adolescent barrels

Leafless ocotillo branches

Wils and Dr. K in the right branch arroyo

Sunday Trek Trio

From the hill west of the right branch arroyo

Dr. K, Willow and I did our regular hike this morning.  We saw a woman in the far distance northwest of us bushwhacking through the desert.

A while later we saw the black side-by-side descend LDR and turn west into the Tellbrook Arroyo.  Soon afterward the man who drives the side-by-side was out bushwhacking with his two dogs, both of whom wore brightly-colored vests.

We took a drive after the trek listening to the football game between the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars which was being played in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in north London, UK.

Willow and Dr. K

Wils having a sit-down

Last 2:  looking down steep hill at a somewhat green ocotillo

 

Detour Day

Soaptree Yucca in LDR-A arroyo

A light grey pickup was parked at the side of Tellbrook Road almost blocking the dirt road entrance to the trailhead this morning.  I felt it might mean that somebody else was on the trail ahead of us, and sure enough when Willow and I started down LDR-A I saw a woman with a dog heading our way.

We backtracked and hiked along the upper flatland road west; my intention was to descend LDR, but just when we reached the junction and looked down I saw the Basset people and their hounds heading toward the Tellbrook Arroyo ahead of us.

By then I noticed the woman and her dog getting back to the pickup and driving off.  Willow and I retraced our steps and went down LDR-A, descended the adjacent LDR-A arroyo and were going to do our regular route when we heard dogs barking.  Since the parking lot at the corner of Tellbrook and Sonoma Ranch was filled with vehicles I wondered if it had to do with a search and rescue exercise; since I couldn't be sure I decided we'd cross the Tellbrook Arroyo and explore some of the side canyons we've hiked in before, which is what we did.  Willow was completely satisfied with my choices.

This & next:  east up the Tellbrook Arroyo

This & next 2:  side arroyo north of the Tellbrook

Willow in a familiar resting place in a side arroyo

This & next:  following an arroyo back to the Tellbrook

Vote Day

Hedgehog cactus

Allthorn in shadow

Dr. K, Willow and I did our regular hike this morning.  No gunshots.

After the outing we returned home, took showers (Dr. K and me) and then drove out to the government center to cast our votes for president et al.

For the life of me I can't figure out how this is shaping up to be a close election given how off his rocker Donald Trump is.  Perhaps people would rather have a lunatic autocrat than a woman for president.

Willow watching for critters

Allthorn in light

We three

Stick and shadow

Upper flatland dirt road

By the Time We Got to Woodystock

Soaptree Yucca seed pod heart

Due to several gun retorts nearby again this morning Dr. K, Willow and I altered our regular route.  We crossed the Tellbrook Arroyo on LDR and headed northeast into the desert in the general direction of several side arroyos we have explored often in the past.

Willow seemed especially happy to bushwhack through somewhat familiar territory, olfactorially examining "new" territory.  We steadily scaled a gentle slope, and I was able to capture some scenes I hadn't photographed in quite a while.

The best, and most frustrating, part of the trek today for me was trying to get a good photo of the Ladder-backed Woodpecker.  I succeeded in getting a few decent images of the beautiful bird.

Powdered-sugar rock

From here to Tortugas

This & next:  Tortugas and the Organs

Prickly Pear and barrel

Tortugas and the Organs again

Soaptree Yucca and young mesquite

Willow in sand

Last 4:  Ladder-backed Woodpecker