239 - Power

I know you're thinking "Power? Ducks? How do those two things go together????"

Here's how: Ducks are deceptively calm on the water. We see a serene bird gliding effortlessly across the water's surface.

What's real is that their feet are pedaling with great speed and force (if they're in a hurry, that is), and only rarely do you get to see and to realize just how much they are working below the surface for that "effortless" propulsion!

I chose this photo because behind the duck, you can see a bit of his pedal power, water churning, like a mini inboard motor on a boat, a bit of whitewater and a flashing orange leg. Seemingly serene, but peddling like hell below the surface!

32 - Boy

I've no idea what the next door neighbor's son was watering down with his Super Soaker. Probably some unfortunate insect got an unexpected shower.

This little guy is usually well watched after by his mom. Apparently he escaped the close confines of her ever-watchful eyes just long enough to sneak out back for a bit. Shortly after I took this photo, she came looking for him and took him back inside. (He's 3.)

I was wondering how I would be able to get a decent shot of some male immature human (a terrifying species to me), and this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up! From the safety of my pickup truck (I just got home from errands.), I managed to get this single photo of the local human wildlife, and escape unharmed. Whew!

205 - Obsession

This is the focus of my world! My little horses. They are my hobby, my friends, my entertainment, my sanity! Obsession? Oh, no! (Not much.)

203 - Numbers

Is this a happy medium? Eight and a half years ago, gas was under $1.00 a gallon. Last year, it was over $4.00. A couple of months ago it was just under $2.00, but began to climb again. Now, though, it's hovering around $2.50. Too high? Too low? Maybe a "happy" medium. (I can remember pulling out of a station without buying gas because it was just TOO expensive . . . at 39¢ a gallon!)

BTW: Why doesn't anyone round up when quoting gas prices? That little 9 to the right of the dollars and cents numbers means 9/10's. Seems to me that's closer to $2.43 and $2.50 than the number we see. Wouldn't it make sense to say (and think), "Oh, $2.43 a gallon!"? Even a penny a gallon makes a difference. My truck holds 24 gallons. Four fill-ups and that's almost a dollar! (I still see $2.42, too!) Those little numbers we forget about add up, too!

342 - Underneath

In this 101ºF heat, even the birds are seeking relief! This grackle found a bit of shade underneath a car in a parking lot. It's hot enough, he's panting to keep cool. Seems like he'd be cooler in a tree (but he didn't ask me)!

Only four more days of triple digits, then we get a real cooling trend: 96º!

308 - Summer

I got some more photos of my baby yesterday, the first day of summer. So while we suffer 98º heat with 65% humidity, everyone else has to suffer through a few more baby pictures! And since they were taken on Summer Solstice, I thought the theme "Summer" would work. (I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for horse-related themes now! Eeeek!!)

She's 2 months old now!

110 - Free

This pigeon has managed to find a free lunch. Someone apparently dropped a peanut on the parking lot, and this lucky bird managed to find it before the grackles did. What's that saying?

"The early bird gets the . . . peanut!"