Friday, May 21, 2010

I have been walking on my lunch hour, and sometimes in the mornings. I'm not doing much...just around the whole back yard a couple laps each time. I don't have any idea how long that is but it's a start. I do it when I need to take a break and get up and move around from typing...

Anyway, today I had a visitor on my walk. I looked up and saw a bird and thought to myself "wow, he looks really big." he, she, whatever? I don't know the difference. Just thought he looked big. Then I get closer to the house and I just happen to glance into the neighbors yard and up on their barn is a "giant" vulture. Wow. I went and got my camera and put the zoom lens on it. When I came out, he was gone. So, I put the camera up and came back out to do another lap. When I came out, he was back. So I went back in to get the camera. I did not just walk with the camera because the zoom lens makes it heavy and it was around my neck and it was humid and made my neck sticky/sweaty, did not want to carry it around. Anyway, Finally, he stayed put and I was able to get some pictures. Only problem is, my zoom did not want to focus. got what I could.

There is something fascinating about birds of prey...

I don't know...are they considered birds of prey if they only feed on dead carcass'? and what is the pleural of carcass? :)

anyway, it was a treat to see him. I can remember Josh (the grandson of the couple that lives there) telling us a few years back there was a family of them living in there.

So, here are some more pictures from the trip to the capital...

This is in the rotunda, looking straight up. All the way at the top of the dome is the star and "T-E-X-A-S" It is just Gorgeous!!

This is the senate chambers. My picture s in this room did not turn out great because of all the windows/light, wrong settings. someday I WILL take a photography course!! anyway, up above is where the spectators sit. The desks are the originals - complete with ink wells. Those holes for the ink well are now used to hold a microphone.

Here's a close up with the zoom lens from the dome, looking up in the rotunda.

This is looking up in the rotunda, also, not all the way to the top, to show the different floors/levels. They just don't build stuff like this anymore. It's a shame.

Are you tired of hearing about the trip yet? :)