A Great Day for Birds at Whipple Dam!

My husband and I almost went swimming on Monday afternoon, which was a holiday. But then we thought about it, and realized that the places we'd go might be crowded. So we decided to wait and go Tuesday, when we'd have the whole place to ourselves.

And that is exactly what we did. We went to Whipple Dam and had a lovely swim. The water has cooled off somewhat there, and it was chillier than the last time. I had my camera with me, and I spotted two little birds hanging out by two tiny waterfalls on the spillway. They flew into the spray and then went back and sat overlooking the waterfalls, like they were tourists or something!

I was surprised when I zoomed in to discover that they were cedar waxwings, which are some of the most gorgeous birds I know of! And then after our swim, walking back along the spillway, I stopped at the bridge, and they both landed on a nearby tree. Presto magico! PHOTO OP! The one flew away quickly, but above is a photo of the one that stayed, and posed so prettily for me.

There was another great bird sighting as well: an osprey! It flew all around the lake above our heads as we swam, and then it perched in a tree not far away. Well, I super-zoomed it, and you can see a decent photo of the osprey in the extras. Hooray! An amazing bird day! (We also spotted two separate skinks, so that was good too!)

Something else happened that wasn't so great, actually, but I didn't let it ruin my day. I wore the shoes I most often wear on my daily walk - yes, I walk several miles every day, and I have done that since late February - and the sole came right off the left shoe!

I searched my fanny pack and daysack for something to bind it up, but I had no string or anything useful in there. Not a single rubber band! Not even dental floss! I am such a magpie, I go around picking things up and tossing them in there.  Someday I must go through and take all that crap out.

The only thing I came across that looked to be remotely of use was an old rosary that I'd found in the Walmart parking lot a few visits ago, but I didn't think it appropriate at all to go dragging Jesus around, walking on him and his cross with my feet, to try and save a shoe! Oh no! Proper automatic hell-fire and damnation for that one, I'll betcha, for sure!

But I did finally discover a gray plastic bag, and I wrapped it around the left shoe and tied the shoe strings to it. It wasn't fancy, it wasn't pretty, and it wouldn't last long, but it was functional enough to get me through a couple of hours at Whipple Dam!!!

Now, it's my custom to include a soundtrack song, and since I have two photos, let me share TWO songs. One is for the little cedar waxwings chasing/watching the waterfalls: TLC with Waterfalls. The other is for my broken shoe, and you know this for sure: sometimes all that you have is your sole (or then again maybe not): Tracy Chapman, with All That You Have Is Your Soul.