Today I watched a television show about Palmetto State Park, a few hours south of here. I've been wanting to visit that park for months. I also watched a "birding adventure show" about going to Santa Cruz Island to bird for the Island Jay. I've been to Santa Cruz Island, and snorkeled on the beach in cold water, seeing a lot of sand and one huge grouper. I did not seek, nor do I remember finding the island jay. I do remember the western scrub jay throughout my sojourn in southern California, although I must confess my usual thought was "not a blue jay" when I saw them. Later, in Colorado, I saw Stellar's Jay, and felt my part of California lost out by comparison. Corvids are cool birds, come what may, though, and I enjoyed learning about the island jay.
I took Beatrice for a walk around noon. She loved it, but it was a bit humid at mid-day for her.
Weight Watchers went very well this week, which accords with the way that some of my clothes fit a bit better. I wish I did not require this organized scheme to eat according to plan. I am nonetheless grateful that this scheme works so well and quickly for me.
Though I am not a big golf fan, I watched the close conclusion to the Masters on television. I set out in the late afternoon to go walk in Allen Station Park, but they are ripping up perfectly good scragglewood, no doubt to put in some further sports fields. I therefore detoured to Bethany Lakes Park. This park is fairly small, with three small lakes that attract mallards and the occasional coot or pied-billed grebe. Today I enjoyed looking at mallards in modest disagreements as part of courtship competition, in seeing swallows hover in the wind, in seeing a red-winged blackbird sing, and in finding a secret little wooded passage around one pond, culminating in a great view of flowers along the wallway facing the street.
Mallards in flight:

Foraging mallards:

Showy Evening Primrose:

Yellow primrose:

Vista of the little Lower Lake:

Turtles on a log:

Four showy evening primrose:

Blanket Flower amid bluebonnets:
