"Bye Bye Birdie"
It was so sad leaving my bird friends at Lemmon Rock today. Dave the Rave, Birdie Boy, the Hawks (flight of four, always tight). The hummingbirds buzzed me as I loaded my truck .. of course they did, with the bright yellow waterproof bags I was lashing to my roof rack with survival orange ratchet straps. The Yellow-eyed juncos pranced around, and a couple of blue streaks marked the flight paths of two Steller's jays. And the ubiquitous LGBs! Always there! The ornithological "cast of thousands." I thank Edward Abbey for the term and concept: LGBs .. little gray birds.
Earl and Pearl Squirrel stopped by before I left. And the camera-shy Abert's squirrel (are you a squirrel or a rabbit?, I want to ask), made a fleeting appearance.
Gotta talk about the ants, too. They marched around. But they have been so very well behaved this year! Kudos. They got the cup or so of raw sugar I had left over. On-the-rocks, as it were. Bet the ants are raising hell tonight!
Lots of Homo sapiens. Trails were crawling with them today, as I loaded my truck. They were very friendly and VERY talkative. But I restrained from feeding them.
There was a great couple from Summerhaven (neighbors). A retired US Army general of the infantry, with his wife .. he looked every bit the part - central casting's perfect general officer. Should have put him on those ants. TEN-HUT!
The Repo-Man hiked in to get my Honda ATV. Actually, it was our USFS Patrol-552. He bumped the ATV up to the observatory, where he will pick it up on a trailer tomorrow.
The fire lookout is empty and spotless. Fridge defrosted, and the door propped open to dry out. Sink polished. Bounced a quarter off the bedspread. Floor? Well, it is irredeemable.But it did get a good sweeping and damp mopping.
I stopped at the Palisades Ranger Station and loaded my mountain bicycle. Got it in the covered back of my truck. Not easy, but done and secure.
Then drifted down from 72*F to 102*F. Joy. Sidled over to the Homeboy Sweets (as I call it) at St. Phillips Plaza, on the banks of the lovely Rillito River (in which, I have never seen water flowing .. but it smells of urine .. probably the homeless camps .. and I'd camp down in there if I were homeless in Tucson .. but be careful .. it rages in the flash floods of the monsoon proper .. which has not come yet .. but probably will this week .. and rattlers .. and Gila Monsters ..and, of course, Jesus Saves .. etc, etc).
Just remember: "Bees come down" (Larry Shue, "The Foreigner"
.
DemoTex
Tucson, AZ
July 24, 2016
[url=https://flic.kr/p/JXkDeW][img]
[/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/JXkDeW]
= new reply since forum marked as read
Wished you were here in Hawthorne, Cali at the Galleria Mall several days ago when my daughter, 13 years old, looked up at the sky and saw the "blood red sun" and thought it was judgment day.
Love your photographs.
I imagine you've been following news of the Sand Fire here in SoCal. Very bad, and has grown worse--to now 50-70 square miles.
I know you men and women in the lookouts are essential to spotting new fires so they can be knocked down before they grow into the kind of nightmare that many are curently facing here.
Congratulations again, and have a safe trip home, brother.
leavings are always sad. But a successful season - thank you for the photos as they are always stunning. 
And for all you do. Sounds like you made a lot of friends this season, human and otherwise, and they're going to miss you. And we'll miss your stories and amazing photos...
Thanks DemoTex 
