January 26, 2013 - Our 39th Anniversary!

Cattails at Hat Rock State Park

Melanistic red-tailed hawk

Great blue heron

Fog over the desert at twilight

 

Today we celebrated 39 years of marriage - itself one of the most beautiful things in my life.  My husband and I met in high school, married young, and have had a wonderful 39 years of one another's company.  We still love spending time together.  Today was spent finishing up the details in the newly repainted bedroom, cleaning out his office so the carpets can be cleaned, going out for a leisurely cup of coffee, and enjoying a very good lunch out together. 

 

On the way home, we decided to take the long way back, through Oregon and along route 730.  We stopped at Hat Rock State Park, and got over fifty photos of the hawk you see above.  (He didn't seem to much care that we were taking pictures - a couple of times he seemed to be posing.)  I haven't seen any melanistic hawks up this close, so it was a real treat to get to enjoy this one.  Then we found the blue heron, and later two others, doing a mating dance.  There were "mixed race" ducks in the river - a combination of tame and wild races...and they all came swimming, hoping to be fed.

 

On the way home we were both enjoying watching the fog roll over the hills, then disappear, then reappear.  It was getting quite dark, but I decided to try a few photos anyway, and am pleased with the results.  The detail, the fullness of the scene, isn't as obvious in these pictures, but I hope you can see enough to enjoy the beauty, along with me.