I caught this Gilded Flicker hanging out in a tree.

Leaving for my morning walk these blue flowers caught my eye.

A view of the pool bar and waterfall. The swim up stools are on the other side of the countertop.

Walking past our house I noticed these flowers for the first time ever on the side of our house. It looks like bougainvillea and I’d like to plant more. I wonder where this one came from? Maybe it hasn’t bloomed before.

My husband said he’s noticed them. So I guess I’m in a fog while I start my walk.

I knew once my walk was over, I’d have to get out my camera and tripod to take pictures of the bougainvillea. But then I thought, why not try shooting things in the yard without the tripod. If the shots turned out fuzzy, I’d do the extra work with the tripod. I’m satisfied with my “freehand” photos.

Glass flowers by the fireplace. They glisten in the sun.

This tortoise is hiding in a corner of the yard.

The prior owners were into yard creatures. At first I thought they were tacky, but they’ve grown on me. Friends gave me a birthday present of pink flamingos from Costco. At first I thought those were tacky, too. But I put them in the yard with all the other crazy things. They fit right in.

A friend of mine from college went hiking with us when we first moved to Arizona. She stared out our windows and said, “You sure have a lot going on in this yard.”

Isn’t that the truth?

While I was writing this, a huge Harris Hawk soared into the yard. I yelled because he was after my quail. He flew powerfully overtaking a quail in flight. But I scared him before he caught one. He decided to hang out on our fence and survey the area. The quail all scattered into the brush.

I’ve tried multiple times to catch a hawk in flight with my camera. They take off so quickly and get hidden behind trees and brush. I have failed so far!

Yes, there’s a lot going on in my yard.

What’s going on in your yard?