A Life in Snippets

My little betta has died. I am sad. He was lovely, and he was part of my family for almost two years. Farewell dear Fleece, may the waters of your next life be warm and ample.

1/125, f/9.0, 50mm, ISO 320

Whenever I walk the grounds at the Marriott, there are always these adorable bunnies nibbling on the grass. Today this one was even more adorable for being a baby bunny nibbling on the grass with his ears glowing in the setting sun!

Another baby bird fills my yard with his insistent calls for Mom to bring him food. When I came out, he froze, trying not to draw attention to himself. He's still not very good at flying. It made him easy to photograph!

More baby birds being fed in my yard!

This guy was chirping like mad for his meal, which his mama brought soon after this. He flew up to the top of the wall where she fed him.

My yard has been a bird nursery this year. I have overgrown bushes, no pets, and the birds have been quite happy to make their nests here. Right now the babies have survived long enough to be able to fly, but they are still not old enough to get their own food. What happens is a baby bird will land in the yard, and then start chirping like crazy. This is very convenient because it alerts me that I must grab my camera. Then mama flies in and feeds her babies. I have to be quick with my shutter finger, though, because these moments never last long, and if I move too suddenly, or too close, everyone flies away. Let me add that getting such fast moving birds into focus is no easy task! But occasionally, very occasionally, I am rewarded with a great image. Today I was doubly lucky! Not only did I catch mama with two of her chicks, but I even caught the feeding itself! Spring is definitely here!

Some years I'm very lucky, and I get a family that decides my home is the best place to set up their home. This must be an experienced nester, because this is just out of reach from the back wall, which serves as a highway for the neighborhood cats, and is oriented just enough away from me that I can't get a good photo of the interior of the nest to see whatever is in there. Welcome, little family, and may all your young thrive in my haven of a yard.

This little guy was enjoying the sunset just as much as I was!

Today I decided that I wanted to take my photo walk at Rosson House at Heritage Square in Phoenix. Such a beautiful home, now a museum, and it seemed to fit the holiday.

My personal Valentine moment was when we found these sweet kittens and their momma who are living under another building in the Square.

I caught my neighbor's cat in my back yard, and she was more startled to see me, than I was to see her, so she bolted straight for the back corner to make a quick getaway.

However, she stopped behind the lemon tree and peered at me suspiciously through the leaves. I think she decided my camera was too annoying and my attention too constant and she moved on down the long line to some other neighbor's yard.

I took my third photo walk around the JW Marriott resort. They have some lovely desert landscaping I wanted to photograph. This image is one of my favorites from the night, as the sun set behind the clouds. Of course, no trip to the JW Marriott would be complete without spying a bunny!