Promptly got the Tezpi.
Figured it was my lucky day, so why not go for another lifer. After driving that far, no need wasting the afternoon, I reasoned. A Paiute Dancer had been photographed below the dam at Lake Balmorhea in the bogs there. I thought long and hard about going, and was really on the fence about it. Those bogs are tough. What I didn't realize is, I'm about 10 years older than the last time I entered that area. I parked on the far (west) side of the dam and began walking below toward the main watercourse. I made it about two-thirds of the way before I just got too exhausted and short of breath, so headed back. I estimate that I endured about a mile of bog slogging in all. It sucked my shoes off with every step, until I just ended up going barefoot. I didn't even want to think about the nasty stuff in the water. That area is loaded with cattle. The bulls scare me, and it was getting ridiculously windy too.
| Small stream that runs through the bog toward the main watercourse. |
No lifers from the bog area. Took some photos though. Here's an Aztec Dancer.
| Hackberry Emperor |
| Cardinal Meadowhawk |
The minute I got to Alpine I took a bath with a liberal amount of Tea Tree oil. Hopefully, no chiggers or parasites in that stagnant, manure-infested water. Needless to say, not doing that again!

2 comments:
I've been meaning to comment on this for the longest time: your photography is getting *truly* outstanding! You used to gripe about your equipment limitations, but it seems to me over the last year or so, you've made a giant leap capturing your tiny subjects. Please pat yourself on the back for us, these are just magnificent.
Thank you! I can't carry my heavy Canon anymore so I just use my Lumix on autofocus. It does good enough for me to document stuff at this stage in my life. It's slower than the Canon so I miss a lot of shots, but I've given up trying to do better. At one time I tried to change, but now I just accept.
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