Rediscovered Zoom and Another Painting

                       

I talked to one of the guys on the ranch and asked him if there were any mountain lions on the ranch.  Yes, he as seen one, but he says it’s rare to see them.  When I spotted the one last week it crossed the road just this side of the bird blind structure on the left.  Now, if I had had the Kodak out and was fast enough I would have been able to identify it for sure.

I have been disappointed with the zoom (10x) on the camera that I have been using, although I do like using it because it is small and easy to carry around.  I started looking for another camera that is small and has a better zoom.  then I remembered that I already have a Kodak Easy Share 12x, but is larger and a hassle to haul around.  That’s why I got the Sony Cyber Shot.  At the time it worked for me, but now that I am taking different types of pictures, I will work with the Kodak as it works nicely for flowers.

     

            This first one is super tiny and the second is about the size of a dime.

When it comes to birds, it still isn’t much better, so I may still get another.  I was thinking of a Nikon COOLPIX L810 16.1 MP with 26x Zoom.  Does anyone have this particular camera and if so, how do you like it? 

   

This morning while I was finishing another painting,we had a couple of buggy visitors, a 4 inch walking stick, the third is a 5 inch grasshopper.  He was gone before Angel spotted him.  If you enlarge the second picture you may be able to see the walking stick as Angel chased it into the road.  I had to rescue it,because a truck was coming.

Theses last two days, it really wasn’t too busy, except that the arrivals and departures were spaced just far enough apart where I didn’t get enough napping time during the day. After I closed the gate when  the last truck left at 2 am, I just got to sleep and another driver came in a 4 am, and opened the gate himself.  I did get up to log him in, but I wasn’t sure if he was in the right place as he had an oil tanker.  Well as it turned out he was, so this was the first of the oil tankers that will be coming in.  From what I’m told, they are having trouble getting oil tankers, but as soon as they do, I’ll see them here.  I don’t mind it being busy during the day, but it is just the ones that come in in the middle of the night that I don’t like.  I’m not crazy about having the gate open at night, but there’s no sense constantly opening and closing it every 1/2 hour or so.(this one’s not automated)

My sister, Evelyn should be coming for a visit tomorrow or the next day with groceries.  I still have quite a bit and can get by for at least a week or more, but it is just the easy stuff and some basics that I am running low on.  She will also bring the all important paycheck too.  I have been waiting for a pin from the IRS so that I can make extra payments, and it was in the mail, so I got that over the phone and made a hefty payment to Uncle Sam.  When that’s gone then I will work  on the one to CA.  I should have enough for that one before I leave for Waco.  It will feel good to get that weight off me and get back to the original retirement plan. 

                      

Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus), That is the bird that was kind enough to stay put for me to get a good picture a couple of weeks ago on the last gate that I was at.  I finally finished the picture this morning.

It’s been a bit slow, so I think that I will try to take another nap.

Thanks for visiting

Susan and Angel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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