SOME PHOTOGRAPHY THIS WEEK

The old barn cat decided to come out and rest near me while I was taking the photo to the right of the newly raised bird feeder. 

She is hard to stop in one spot long enough to get her photo. I happened on this and took advantage of her quiet and relaxing moment. 

The new feeder was raised after dinner earlier this week. Some of the paint was still wet so bird food waited till the next morning. This is one of those projects I walk away from a few steps and then turn around an enjoy. A few more steps and repeat.

Acorns this season; not a one last season.  From the looks of this tree in our back yard, they are maturing. Still a smaller crop than years past. 

Many have fallen and that seems early to me. Lots of little acorn hats on the ground, but the acorns are already picked up for storage. The surviving animals are most serious this season as there was a large die off of squirrels and chipmunks last year.  

Last season posts covered the over-crowding and invasions into our garage for anything to eat by squirrels, chipmunks, some mice and a hissing possum. 

.......................

Some typical scenery driving from Johannesburg to Franschhoek SA, 2007.

..................

Cape Town as seen from a top of Table Mountain, SA 2007

...................

Spider and Wasp; a short story (I have shared before)

The day after arriving in Johannesburg, my wife and a colleague took me on a brief tour and my first lunch out at an open air market/cafe. High eight foot wall looking like formed from mud/adobe construction. See through cloth/mesh covered the roof and a dozen tables scatted through the restaurant. Quaint. 

Just after being seated and with zero experience in South Africa, I noticed movement on the near by wall. It was a spider as big as my hand slowly making its way down to the floor. (I ******* hate spiders) This was the biggest spider I have ever seen then or now. Other noticed the spider, too. No one panicked. But I was not in Kansas anymore and that was lesson #1 of many more to come that year in South Africa.

Then one of the patrons said; "Is that one of those jumping spiders?" As God is my witness!!

Others were standing up, so as to be more mobile I assumed. We stood up. 

As the spider made it to the floor for crossing the room, a large wasp was heard flying over head. Screw the wasp, I was spider focused!!

"Watch this" one of the other customers said. Apparently we were all in for some kind of event. And we were. 

The wasp hit that spider mid back and the spider curled up like a fist on the floor. That fast!!

Now we had a dead spider and a live wasp starting to drag the spider to the other side of the restaurant. No one, to include the locals, made any attempt to dissuade or disturb the wasp. 

I was lucky to get the photo above. There was no skill involved. Point and shoot while keeping the front door clearly in sight. 

After a few minutes the wasp and the spider disappeared behind a wall and cabinets. 

Time to order lunch!!

.....................

Beyond keeping our heads up and being prepared, it might be time to do homework about gatherings and outings we plan to attend.  

Thanks for the visit this week.