After the rain subsided this afternoon, I spotted this male cardinal sitting on a power pole across the road. This is the first sighting of a cardinal for us this (almost) spring. he was whistling his mating call so I believe he’s in the market for a mate. Click on the image to enlarge.
Hi - this is Cabela. Last night the Mama tucked me into my blankie when I was getting ready to take a nap while the hoomins were watching movies on TV. I like to nap and be close to my hoomins. 
We went shopping for a few things today and found ourselves down in the “touristy” part of town. We have a favorite shop in that area, and Bob got a birthday present for his Mom’s 92nd birthday next month. I also got a pair of shorts and some really cool dangly earrings.
Walking back to the truck, I noticed a bush with pretty little yellow flowers (I don’t know the variety). Upon closer examination, I found that the bees also like the yellow flowers. Click on the image to enlarge.
I paused to take this photo of one of my Devil’s Tongue Barrel Cacti this afternoon. This one had a lot of flowers and now has quite a few of the cactus fruit growing between the spines and spikes. In spite of the natural defense this cactus has, the little desert critters still manage to nibble away at the fruit. Click on the image to enlarge.
About a week and a half ago, I blogged about a new camera I ordered. Yesterday, the post office delivered my new Canon SX40 HS.
I unpacked the box last night and followed the getting started instructions this morning.
Image: composite of four photos I took today - click to enlarge.
As soon as I finalized the order last week, I downloaded the users manuals from the Canon website. I browsed through the manual to get familiar with the camera’s controls and specifications which gave me a head start on operations.
So, several times today, I took the camera outside and shot some sample photos. The top left image above is a bird perched in a mesquite tree about fifty feet away. At top right is a view of the home taken this morning. Bottom left is a neighbors flagpole taken at a range of about 400 feet. Finally, bottom right is a Cleveland sage flower I took in the courtyard this afternoon.
I am reasonably pleased with the performance, notably the telephoto images. The image stabilizer works much better on this camera than the old one. Close up photos aren’t usually my thing, but I think the camera performed well on those as well.
Speaking of the bird in the photo above, you may be able to help me identify the species. It is black with white stripes on the bottom of its wings, has a topknot like a jay or cardinal, jumps into the sir like a mocking bird dancing and has a whistle-like call ascending in pitch like a human whistling for a dog to come. You can click here for a large view of this bird. We can’t find it in any of our bird reference books.
The last of the cold weather is just about behind of us and spring starts in a couple of weeks. While the nights are still a little cool, the days are beginning to be warm enough that the puppies won’t be needing their knitted sweaters until late next fall. Bob took this photo last week when we were having a brisk fifty-something day. The dogs were comfortable though with their colorful winter garb. Click on the image to enlarge.
Hi - this is Beethoven (aka Bay Bay). I am still getting used to riding in the hoomins truck. I like to travel, but sometimes I get anxious to get out of the truck and explore outside. Sometimes, I just sleep and sometimes, I ask the Mama and the Daddy “Are we there yet?” Click on me to enlarge.
