The Second, Second Best Blog

Today is moving day for Versadial.

Pictures do speak louder than words, so up goes the volume! (Click on the pictures to see a few words of explanation and a higher resolution version.)

A quiet gray Sunday afternoon was interrupted by the sound of a low flying helicopter circling above the neighborhood. A quick look around revealed a thick black column of smoke rising to the northeast. Maybe down at the Ralph’s shopping center, or a car parked on Mustang Run? I dropped the lawn edger, ran in the house to get my camera, then down the street with a growing stream of people and cars.
About two and half blocks away from our house, the garage at 21575 Cabrosa was fully engulfed with flame and smoke. There were already four engine companies on the scene. It wasn’t long before the smoke turned white and the flames disappeared. The Sheriff department personnel tried to keep everyone out of the street and on the sidewalk. I walked down the street directly across from the action. There was a man taking pictures from out in the street. He nearly got his head banged by a ladder as a fireman carried it from the truck while stepping over the hoses.

Though far from perfect, this Sunday morning turned out to be … hmmm … what one word best sums it up? Enjoyable – it certainly was. Memorable – that too, but only to me.

First, I slept in. Woke up around 8 – not ready to get up. Woke up next about 9:30 – much better. Got up, dressed in shorts and tee shirt, retrieved the paper from the driveway, separated the news from the sports, commentary, and advertising. Zapped a blueberry muffin in the microwave, fixed a cup of tea, gathered the phone, camera, and peanut box, and prepared to take them all out on the back patio. As I approached the sliding glass door, I saw this little black phoebe sitting on the fence. I put everything down except the camera, quietly opened the door and snapped a couple of pictures. I moved a little closer and it flew up into the Mulberry tree, which actually made for a better picture. Refilled the bird feeders, moved a chair and little table out on the grass, ate the muffin, and started reading, as usual, with Parade.

The cover article, by Dr. Phil (McGraw) was personally interesting. He mentioned several emails he has gotten from people who have lost their jobs, their houses, their self-esteem. Then went on to give his advice about how to weather this economic “perfect storm”. I felt very lucky that most of my own unemployment and job search occurred prior to the storm. And that we got through it by doing some of the things he suggested.

Later on, while reading about all the bad stuff going on in the rest of the world, two black phoebes started chirping again. The one in the picture and another had seemingly been flirting earlier. It was clear they were not flirting now. I heard a little thump on the fence and looked up to see this Cooper’s Hawk. For once I was ready. I got five shots before he departed.

Return Visit – May 31, 2009

Not sure if this is the exact same bird, but in any case this Cooper’s Hawk appeared on the east fence two weeks later. If not for the head, you may not believe they are the same species, the front and back are so different.

A friend gave me this bird feeder for Christmas 2006. The first picture was taken on New Year’s Day 2007. The second, yesterday. Thousands of House Finches and Sparrows, along with an occasional Gold Finch and Starling have dropped by in that time. Once in a while a Mourning Dove tries to join in, but they are just a little too big. All those scratchy feet and pointy beaks have almost no effect on the feeder’s appearance compared to that of constant sun and water exposure. It seems like glass is about the only material that holds up well in those conditions.