THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE-- Day Nine

Our neighbor's brother graduated from the university today and we were invited to the after-ceremony celebration.

It was a crawfish boil.    

The main dish arrived in a cooler from Louisiana just yesterday.

They did not look like food. 

 They looked like large black scorpions with lobster tails.

I will not eat them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere!

You do not like them.

So you say.

Try them! Try them!

And you may.

Try them an you may I say.

Ooookaaay...

 I will try them, let me be.

I will try them you will see.

Hey!

They are not bad-not bad at all.

Just lots of work for something small.

And that is my photo a day for thirty days for today.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Eight

  Not far from here is a farm where big bull elk get free hay and grain and protection from predators.

When they have grown trophy-sized antlers they will be taken to a private ranch where "hunters" can shoot them for bragging rights.  Someone should warn them about enjoying easy food and other handouts.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Seven

A photo a day for thirty days.

An eye

Then an ear

I think I see a deer

Hiding behind that big tree

A stomp

Then a flash

And he's gone in a dash

I think the deer just saw me

From Dirt On My Shirt--Jeff Foxworthy

A couple of canada geese scoping the neighborhood for a nesting spot.

Here for fun is a wobbly video of a sure sign of spring..

Mr. Robin staking a claim to his chosen territory.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Six

A photo a day for thirty days.

Daffodowndilly

By A.A. Milne

When We Were Very Young

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Five

A photo a day for thirty days

\

The sun was warm but the wind was chill

You know how it is with an April day

When the sun is out and the wind is still, 

You're one month on in the middle of May. 

But if you so much as dare to speak, 

A cloud comes over the sunlit arch, 

A wind comes off a frozen peak, 

And you're two months back in the middle of March.

Two Tramps in Mud Time

Robert Frost

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Four

A photo a day for thirty days

We enjoyed a long family breakfast with our second son and his family on our last day in California.

 But DH, Beevis and I finally had to resign ourselves to the drive back home.  

(Don’t you just love the smears of tire rubber on the barricade?)

 Back through miles and miles of Mojave.

Past the ever scenic Death Valley.

Ten thirty p.m. and only three hours to go.

 On and on and on—keep on rockin, baby,’ til the night is gone.

 Fourteen hours later, after lots of gas from both fast food and service stations, we reached our destination.  Good visit, great fun and nobody died. 

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Three

A photo a day for thirty days.

Sunday at the apartment of our son and his wife and kids. 

 So warm and green compared to our home in Idaho.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day Two

A photo a day for thirty days.

Day two I shot gobs of photos and video, but this pretty much covers it.

Newport Beach, CA with kids and grandkids.

THIRTY DAY CHALLENGE--Day One

In April 2014 I took up the Thirty Day Challenge---that is; work daily at something you wish to learn or improve on for thirty days.  I chose a rather easy challenge; take a photo a day for thirty days and post it on my blog.  My difficulty was more to edit all the photos down to one or two a day.  My reward was to become more focused on my surroundings and I probably strengthened a few muscles carrying around my big Nikon with the zoom lens.

This year I began the challenge at the same time as a road trip to southern California to visit with children and grandchildren.  There was more than one photo a day for these first four days.

Anyway, for April first, here are a few shots of our marathon drive of a thousand miles in one day.

 Breakfast just south of Salt Lake City, Utah.

On down the highway to our goal.

 Lunch near Las Vegas, Nevada.

 Through the Mojave Desert which was green and blooming thanks to recent plentiful rain.

 Then we found ourselves in a parking lot on Interstate 15.

 Due to an accident.

 The remains of a tanker truck were being loaded on a flatbed truck to clear the way.

The delay put us right in the middle of the evening rush hour going into Los Angeles.  (No photos, I was navigator.)  It was an understatement to say these Idaho Spuds felt like we were on the worst Disney Ride ever with no assurance we would arrive undamaged at the end.  Still, the Google Maps Lady guided us calmly through the wild rumpus and we found ourselves at our destination just in time for dinner.  And it was still hot.

Side note:  this is Side Trips blog post number one thousand.