This beautiful mountain lion replica is on display at the New Melones Lake Visitors Center and Museum near Sonora, California. We were passing through historic route 49, appropriate for the gold rush of 1849, and saw the turnoff for the visitors center. We were certainly not disappointed when the museum exhibits included a diorama of several indigenous critters, including the mountain lion, also known as ‘cougar.’
Click on the image for full-size.
Whoo whee! It’s sure been hot the last few days. Today, I got a Frosty as a treat and it was good, but I still would like to go to that place with the white cold stuff. I don’t miss the fur though. I’m glad the hoomins got my fur trimmed for the summer.
Oh well, I guess I will go take a nap next to the fan.
She lit on the hibiscus, posed for just a second and fluttered off. Not before I got this photo, though. Click to enlarge.
The big Devil’s Tongue barrel cactus in the back yard is again in bloom. The appearance of the beautiful flowers attracts honey bees who brave their way through the spikes and spines to gather nectar. Click on the image to enlarge.
I got to sit on the front porch today and watch the Mama and Daddy Hoomins work on the trees out front. The Daddy went up a big stair thing like I use to get in the truck. When he got up there, he took out a buzzer thing and made pieces of the tree fall down. I wasn’t scared though. The Mama took the things that fell and put them in the black thing that always smells funny.
Yesterday, the Daddy Hoomin let me out in the back to chase a squirrel away from where the birds eat. It was fun. That’s a picture of me that you can make big if you click on it.
I’m tired now and think I will take a nap.
I went into the back yard yesterday morning and saw a hawk perched on my garden utility cart. I quietly rushed back into the house to get my camera and quietly returned to get some photos. The young bird stayed long enough for me to get several images. The composite image above is made from the best of the perched and in flight images.
According to my copy of “Birds of the Los Angeles Region,” this is probably a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk. This species is a year-round resident in the area and is known to ambush smaller birds as they feed. Cooper’s Hawks are often seen hunting around bird feeders – our feeders are to the left of the perched image, just out of the frame.
