Water crossings and water birds

This first photo is one of the nearly dozen low water crossings I've built on my roads. It's been there 28 years, works perfectly, and blends pleasingly along the road, as do the others I built.

This next photo is what another water crossing looks like after the contractors that buried the new fiberoptic cables finished rebuilding it (after destroying my original great one). When I complained that it was ugly and didn't have lovely rock work on it like it had when I built it, they piled dirt and rocks on it to make it "blend in." Clueless regarding esthetics obviously. They just said they bury cables, not do rock work. I had given the phone company the number of a contractor who could do rock work, but they ignored that. But I'll live with it. It's not where I drive very much, and birders, not at all. Hopefully it'll keep the road from washing out, which is the purpose. Frustrating though. Never could stand trash or ugliness on my property.

I've given up on getting rain and started water rationing. The oasis will survive.... at least as long as I survive.

My implant surgery is scheduled for Thursday. I'll be so very relieved if the dentist actually puts implants in. I have this huge fear that he'll say I've lost too much bone (while waiting on him) and need more grafts etc. before he can do it. That would be devastating! I'm just not eating as healthy without teeth, even though I really try. 

One time he numbed my mouth in preparation for putting in implants, then discovered my existing ones were abscessed and had to be removed. But he couldn't do it then because he had to order bone graft stuff to put in at the same time. So I went through the agony of the needles for nothing. Some people aren't bothered by them, but for me it's always excruciatingly painful. Once I get implants in I have to wait at least 3 months to get teeth on them, but it'll be the end of needles and torturous pain, at least.

Weather is cooling off, though I prefer heat. Went birding yesterday morning and this morning to nearby Musquiz Lake. Today was really cold (38°) so I bundled up. My hands got so cold that I felt chilled. Don't dare get sick now. 

The traffic is ferocious, but it's great birding, so I mentally block out the noise. Here's a link to info about the place if you're interested. https://birdinghotspots.org/hotspot/L1025550

I don't often get good photos because you have to bird from the highway and as you can see in the above photo, the birds are very far away. It'd be nice to have a scope and huge telephoto lens there, but not worth the investment. I try to content myself with documenting things and leave the magazine cover shots to the pros. 

I guess my favorite birds of the day were a Wilson's Snipe and continuing Green Heron.

This Ruddy Duck got close enough that I got a pretty decent photo of it. 

My son was at the oasis during the recent eclipse and was fascinated by the pattern the eclipse made on the courtyard floor. He called it "a million eclipses."

Meanwhile, I tried for photographs from Alpine. Naturally, on the last one my auto-focus was accidentally turned off or I might have gotten a sharper shot of the moon. Or not...