Gorgeous Great Blue Herons

I finally got my great shots of Great Blue Herons!  Isn't he beautiful? Just look at that beard.

Almost every day in the early evening Hazel picks me and Katie up and we go for a ride around the campground to give her Greyhounds a good walk.

Hazel and Fleur and Power - exercising the Greyhounds.

We drive through the campgrounds and also along the road by the lake which is at the bottom of the hill where we think a couple of Great Blue Herons are nesting.  Usually when we are driving by, the male is out guarding the area, looking very regal.  I've taken so many photos of him - here are a few of the best I've taken over the last few days.

See how he holds his left foot up, "fingers" stretched out?

His beard isn't puffed out in this photo. 

He usually doesn't move, just stands there.  But I caught him in a big yawn.

This is the terrain on the lower part of the hill.  We think there is a nest in one of the trees behind him.

One day both the male and female were there.  I love seeing Great Blue Herons, from the first one I saw at Santee Lakes June of 2011 during my first month in The Palms to today.  Whenever I see one it makes my day and a good photo is the frosting on the cake.

Male on the left and female on the right.  He looks very puffed up and protective. We've only seen her once.

I think it's interesting that I mentioned the other day I love getting pictures of Great Blue Herons, but hadn't yet gotten a good clear close-up.  Then - waaa laaa - here they are.  I don't know how I'd get a better shot than these.  I love looking at them.  The birds and the photos. 

These are the kinds of pictures I would have used for the front of note cards that I used to enjoy making and giving as gifts when I had a good office set-up at home.

It's a beautiful Sunday at Bluewater Lake State Park here in New Mexico - I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day, too.

From me and Katie, have a great day everyone!  :)

We're back and up to speed...

And when I say "up to speed," I don't mean fast.  I'm talking about Retirement Speed. :)  We've added a computer and my new Canon camera and two dozen horses and subtracted one cute mouse - and yes, I threw away the D-Con.  Lucky for you all, I lost the photo of the dead mouse.

My computer didn't arrive as scheduled, but it's back now, and I almost have it completely loaded again.  Luckily I have lots of back-ups of my documents, photos, music, and scrap booking graphics.  I own the programs I use, so I just had to re-install them.  It takes time, but I haven't lost anything.  It's sure nice to be back to normal again.  I can soooo tell the difference between the other less expensive HP laptop and this computer, which is an HP ENVY dv6 with an intel CORE i7 processor and a back lit keyboard, which I do use often in the evening.  This is just a better machine and it performs so much smoother and faster - it has better color, better sound, a better keyboard, better features, it's just better all around.  I love this computer; I didn't realize how great it was until it was MIA for a couple of weeks! 

We are in a different campsite this time, one of my favorites on the other side of the campground, and we're settled in again for a while.

The horses that were here a week ago only came that one day so far, and I got some photos with my old camera, but it doesn't have the good zoom lens.  I counted 24 horses, and these are the best of those shots.

Mare with her new foal.

Many of the horses were laying down resting, and there were always horses guarding them.

More horses and their guards.  These were really sleeping, and were laying there for a while. I love the way they are protected by the horses watching them, but also facing different directions looking outward.

 

Mare watching over her colt.  There was another shot which I lost, unfortunately, of a new foal laying down, sound asleep with the mare standing over it, providing shade.  Horses have good instincts, don't they?

These are the horses across the lake, and some cows and bulls, too.

I had a memory card in my new Canon and got some really good closeups, but when I tried to load them into my computer, it said I needed to "format" the card, which meant I had no photos on the card.  I don't know what happened because it looked like I was saving photos, but they were all lost.

Since that first day the horses were here, I've only seen them over on the other side of the lake, a bit too far for close up photos.  Hopefully the horses will be back on this side of the lake soon and I'll get some shots of the new foals before they get too big.  There were 3 or 4 new ones, and a few colts, too.

It's a weekend again, and the RVs and tents are surrounding the lake.  Hazel is volunteering in the Visitor's Center/Office and said this is a really busy weekend.  There are tons of boats out on the lake with people fishing and being towed in rubber rafts and riding little water craft thingies - Skidoo's or whatever they are.  Lot of families, lots of groups, lots of fun.

From me and Katie, have a great weekend, everyone!  :)

Computer will be back tomorrow!

According to the FedEx tracking, my repaired computer with a new or refurbished hard drive will be delivered tomorrow. I've been going through a bit of computer withdrawal but still doing okay. Having my Kindle Fire has been a big help. I've watched a few movies - kept up with e-mail - played a few games (I downloaded a really good domino game that was free) - and kept up with all your blog posts. I have lots of news, photos of HORSES (YEAAAAA!), a photo of a dead mouse (YEAAAAA) -it was very cute :(, etc. As soon as I get the computer I'll be leaving Bluewater Lake because my two weeks are up. I plan to do some parking lot camping while getting the computer up to speed and will be returning to Bluewater Lake in a week or so. No photos today. I'm not quite sure how I'd import them. From me and Katie - have a great Monday everyone! (It sure is different typing with only my index finger on this little screen.)

We'll be back, and drat - another mouse!

POST 2 OF 2 FOR TODAY

I thought I'd post a couple of photos of where we are parked here at Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico - I might try out a new site when we come back.  We can only stay 14 days, then we have to leave for a week, and then we're coming back.

Our beautiful campsite overlooking Bluewater Lake.

This photo shows the lake in front of us, and the dry lake bed to our right. Much lower than usual, but still lots of water for boats.

We're not going anywhere, I just won't have a computer for a week for so, and won't be able to publish a post during that time.

Long story:  I wasn't completely happy with the Samsung camera I bought on June 1 at Wal-Mart and noticed on the right panel of my blog, where I put a "This is my Future Camera" ad, that the camera I want is on sale.  It was $299, and I wasn't quite ready to pay that, but now it's $199, and I'm willing to fork over that much for a camera that I hope I'll love.   So this morning I got the Samsung camera back to factory condition and Hazel and I drove to Wal-Mart and I returned it.

I was standing there waiting while the Customer Service employee rang up the return, and I mentioned that I also purchased a laptop from Wal-Mart and it was driving me crazy.  After I got it, although I had it set to automatically perform updates, I still needed to download and install them myself.  There were around 50 updates for Windows 8 and a bunch of updates for HP installed items, maybe a dozen.  I've been having a heck of a time getting all the updates downloaded and installed.  About half of them failed and I had to try again, and this computer is SSSLLOOOWW!  I still don't have them all installed and I don't think any of the HP updates worked.

The speakers aren't super good, although I can live with that.  But the games I play on the computer are jerky, and even with the updates I've installed so far, that hasn't improved.

Investigating what's actually ON this computer, I discovered it was built July of 2012.  That's before Windows 8 was even out, so no wonder it needed so many updates.  I was thinking I might want to return it.  When I mentioned all this to the Customer Service woman, she said, make sure if you return it that you have your receipt, and return it within 15 days of purchase.  Wow - 15 days isn't very long - and I've already had the computer 12 days.  So, now, as soon as I post this, I'm going to return the computer back to factory condition, put everything back in the box, and Hazel and I are going to the Wal-Mart in Gallup tomorrow and I'm going to return it.

I won't get my other laptop back from being repaired for a week or so, and probably won't be posting until I get that one back.  I didn't want anyone to worry - nothing is wrong, I just won't have a computer to publish my next post for a little bit.

I sure seem to have a lot of electronics woes lately, don't I?  Even so, like they say about golf, the worse day full-timing still beats any other lifestyle. 

Funny.. as I'm typing this, ANOTHER "HP SUPPORT ASSISTANT" message popped up, "A critical message about your computer is available." It keeps doing that, and when I choose "View now," I have a loooong wait, remember this computer is ssssslllllloooowww, and then I finally get a screen that lists all the HP updates I need to download and install.  Unfortunately after taking the time to try to do that, they don't get installed.  Just confirms that I need to return this computer before my 15 days are up.

I was hoping that once all the updates were done, the computer would speed up and not be so jerky, but since my 15 days are almost up, I don't have time to even try to complete that task.  If they had given me 90 days like some stores do, I might have whipped it into shape by then and kept it.   

But the good news is that I ordered a new Canon Power Shot 500 IS and it should be here by Friday, I hope. I should have some good photos to post once I get my computer back.  

And...  yes, another mouse.  Katie woke me up at 5 am this morning.  I looked down from my bunk, and all I could see was her little butt and wagging tail.  The rest of her was in the cab.  I got up and turned on the light, got my flashlight and looked all over and under and around everything up there.  Nothing.  Then I thought, maybe something is in the engine compartment, so I went outside, lifted the lid, and shone the light all over.  Nothing.

I went back in and told Katie to go to sleep, but she was insistent.  So I started moving things from the cab to the couch, and ...  nothing.  Katie's tail was wagging even faster, so I went back outside and opened the passenger door, and who should be looking up at me - a little mouse.  Katie is so spot-on with these critters.  I tried twice to smash it, but there wasn't a flat surface and it went back under the seat and probably into the cabin somewhere.

I got out some D-Con and put it under the seat where Katie couldn't reach it, got a mousetrap that was already baited and would kill and keep the mouse inside if caught, and also threw a Fresh Cab bag under the seat hoping the smell would drive it away.   I have a whole BAG full of mouse stuff.

I won't know if any of that worked until tonight when it decides to roam around if it's still here.  Katie will wake me for sure if she hears anything.  UPDATE, Katie is back in the cab and it's 9:15, but now she's growling toward the DRIVER's seat.  I put everything under the passenger seat.  Here we go again.

Tomorrow Hazel is coming over to help me find and plug any holes under the rig with some steel wool I bought a few months ago.  Obviously, since this is the fourth time I've had a mouse, I have entry holes under the rig.  I think I might win the award for the most infestations of mice in two years' time.   Yes, I'm so proud.  But not willing to try for five!  I'm going to put my shoes on and get out the mouse "stuff" bag right now.

From Me and Katie, see you in a week or so - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE, INCLUDING MINE!  :)

And that's no Bull!

POST 1 OF 2 FOR TODAY

Or is it?  I'm so uninformed about identifying gender when it comes to large animals.  I figured this guy:

...was a bull, and although I didn't see anything suspicious to identify him as such, he is so massively built - look at his huge shoulders and chest.

Kind of like last year when the herd of horses was here.  I couldn't tell which was the mare and which was the stallion unless one of them was nursing the colt. Then it was a pretty good guess at that point. Or the one photo I took of a few of the horses. I didn't realize until days after I posted the photo that it was kind of OBVIOUS one of them was a stallion.  A little horse porn?  I can't find that post, but you get the idea. 

Also kind of like my nudist at Quartzsite.  Not until I had his photo up on my laptop screen did I realize he had turned to face me, and I got quite a surprise.  Sorry... couldn't post that one, I caught it in time.  That post BY FAR has the most views and is probably the most disappointing when the Google Search for the word Nudist lands on that post.  :)

Anyway, the other morning I'm sitting at the dinette playing with my laptop when my photo scout, Katie, started barking.  I looked out the window, down to the dry lake bed below us, and there sauntered a huge black bull with a white face. 

Just slowly walking along. I thought he was heading toward the lake for a drink, but he got to the road and turned right, following it along the edge.

Then I saw a truck coming along the road.  It was funny, the bull could have kept going straight, but as soon as the truck approached, he turned to cross the road right in front of the truck.  Slowly.

The driver, of course, stopped.  I guess if the bull had no females to boss around, he was going to make sure this truck understood who was boss.

Then he just kept walking and turned toward the hills in the west.  He walked along like he owned the place.  A little further along, he stopped and began grazing.  Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I see a black dog running toward him. 

He crossed right behind the bull, stopped, and then ran a bit further and hung out a while sniffing the ground. 

Then I hear this frantic yelling, obviously the owner of this unleashed dog, who is messing around with a huge bull, noticed it wasn't nearby and spied it up on the hill.  That would sure make me yell at Katie to come back.  (Katie is always on her leash, though.)  The dog again ran toward the bull, then kept going, back down to the lake where his owners were.

After having his fill of the plants he was grazing on, the bull walked on to the upper road and continued along toward the vault toilets.

Oh...  THAT's where he's going.  To the Potty. :)

Right next to the toilets are three large boulders and a sign saying no access.  It used to be a road heading around the lake to the other side, where I've seen cows and horses grazing.  He went out of my line of sight, but I'm sure he took the road beyond the boulders and went to the other side of the lake.  Again, I'm assuming this is a bull.  If it's not, well, sorry about that. :)

I don't get TV antenna reception here, but sometimes there's a good show right out my window.  And my photo scout is always alert and on the lookout for anything that moves.

Katie and I have walked up to the Visitor's Center a couple of times when Hazel was manning the office.   This park has a real office, kind of made me miss working.  I loved working in an office, all the different tasks and projects.   So, if you call the Visitor's Center at Bluewater Lake State Park and talk to a woman with a sweet, southern voice, it's Hazel. 

Hot, hot, hot the last three days, and tomorrow as well. Then it's supposed to cool back down into the 80s.  I'm looking forward to that!!

From me and Katie, have a great Wednesday evening, everyone!  :)