Wood Ducks at Tingley Beach

Today the baby, the very naughty dog (he ate his good leash) and I set out to take pictures of birds in IR. I scouted available locales and picked out Tingley Beach which has tons of attack trained geese and ducks (show up and they mug you for food). We got this picture of a lovely pair of wood ducks. You may notice it isn't IR. I am discovering that my IR camera is exquisitely sensitive to vibration and it is basically only happy on a tripod, so no decent IR shots for the day.

OTOH, the baby thought the geese and ducks approaching the stroller within inches honking and quacking was one of the funniest things ever and she shrieked with delight until it was time to go and then trying to put in her car seat caused her to flip out and wail all the way home. The dog was relegated to the car rather quickly because he bit half way thru the backup leash.

Tingley Beach is an interesting place. We might go back again but it isn't very picturesque. It was built in the 30's by the CCC along the edge of the Rio Grande and was a fine place for sunbathing and swimming. By the 80's it had turned into a local joke and was a foul smelling pit. Swimming had long been banned due to water quality. In the 90's they began to restore it as a series of ponds for model boats and fishing. It may be nice in a few years but right now, it is still bright and shiny new with small trees and not very well grown landscaping.

Recently, I find my self overwhelmed with gratitude for the life I have been given. Today I am grateful for my warm bed, the dog's soft fur and the laugh of a baby.