Copyright ©2022 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
We had #1 Grandson with us last week which was so nice. One of the things we did was visit an Animal Sanctuary in No. Reno called Animal Ark. My favorite were the Cheetahs. Here are two. One wanted to play but, the other wasn’t interested at all so, they’re just chillin.
Here’s a rare look at #1 Grandson. We had fun measuring our arms comparing them to wingspans of No. American birds. Mine was the same as a Turkey Vulture.
All too soon it was time to take him home.
The week before his visit I had gone birding locally and saw some good birds. One I was super excited about seeing was the Pinyon Jay. I’ve been waiting for their Spring arrival so I could try again getting a decent image of one. This bird was a lifer for me in 2019 but, they were flying by so fast then that I failed to get a decent shot of one. Finally, on this walk-about I got a few but, that tree on the right is in the way. I was afraid to get any closer and scare it off which I eventually did anyway. 😮 They travel and forage in large flocks- on this day I counted 17 in all.
Spring is breaking out all over the west now. When we took #1 Grandson home I noticed Baby Girl’s Apple tree was blooming so I took a quick snap of a blossom.
Apple blossom
I’ve been doing some projects from the book by Wendy Tait- Watercolor Flowers. This is project #2 Roses.
I’ve painted 3 of these now- 1 8×10 in. and 2 5X7in. I’m making progress getting my paint to water ratio right, and blending is definitely improving. There are 8 projects in the book with step by step directions and images. I like the book a lot. I’m moving on to project 3 hopefully I’ll continue to improve.
Tomorrow I’m meeting friends down in the Mono Basin to do some photography and camping. I’m hoping for good weather, and clear night skies. I hope you all are having a good week, and your week-end is fun!
Fuji X-T3| iPhone 7 Plus| PS CC 23.2.2
more to come…
Circadianreflections Blog 
nice
Thank you so much!!
Love you work
Thank you so much!
I really enjoyed this, Deborah! Super photos. What is the last bird listed on the wing span? Is there another that is longer than the golden eagle?
Thank you so much, Jennie! The last one on this measurement table was the Golden Eagle, but the Californian Condor has the largest wingspan of the North American birds. I’ve only seen a nest but I have hope of seeing a Condor one day.
Ah ha! Thank you for letting me know. We have Golden Eagles here, so I know how big they are. Hopefully you can get a photo of a California Condor one day.
Hopefully! 😀
The cats are beautiful. The wing span thing is neat 😀. Congratulations on finally getting a shot of the Pinion Jay, makes me nuts when I see a lifer and don’t get my shot, LOL. Great set of images Deborah.
Thank you so much, John!
Love the photos and your wonderful watercolors. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much, Robert!
You could have made this into three posts. 🙂 You guys were lucky to have time with #1 grandson, who by the way is growing up fast, and I’m sure he always has a good time with your adventures. Those cheetahs look like they’re thinking ‘what are you guys looking at.” I’ve never seen a pinyon jay. He is quite handsome. The apple tree blossom is beautiful. Your oils are getting to the professional level. These roses are truly lovely, Pat yourself on the back. Now, have a great camping trip, and I’ll look forward to hearing all about it.
Thank you so much, Judy! 😍
I love cheetahs so thanks for that. Wingspan is a fun way to measures. 🙂 Grandson looks dapper with his hat. I love hats! Your watercolor is lovely. You could make beautiful cards from it. Looking forward to photos from the weekend. 🙂 Have fun!
Thank you so much, Janet! He does look good in his hat. We bought him a new one for the wedding. He’s going to be the ring bearer.
Thanks for the well wishes for the weekend. I hope the weather is good! 😀
I love your “this and that” Deborah. There is so many stories between those words.
Thank you so much, Rebecca! There are indeed. 😉😀
Thanks for sharing more close to home blessings Deborah, it is always a delight to have time with the grandies, and your grandson looks a hansom young man. Your water colors are impressive, and you are certainly doing well in the art sphere. The Pinyon Jay is a new birds to me also, as I have not seen it presented by any of the other American birders. I love your Blue Jay. I love the facial features you captured in your photo. Lastly the sign of spring is very welcome to your people in the colder climates coming out of a cold winter and your daughters apple tree smiles with the delight of the warmer weather. We are experiencing another deluge after months of rain and flooding, and more to come even heavier in the next few days, as La Nina takes its toll. We have had a few days of blue sky and sunshine in almost two months.:-)
Thank you so much, Ashley! I’m ever so glad you liked the Pinyon Jay too! I was surprised to hear mine is the first you’ve seen from bloggers here.
I’m sorry to hear about all the rain and flooding you’re getting this early in your Fall/Winter seasons! We’re already getting mentally prepared for the upcoming fire season with help from our utility companies sending us reminders and helpful tips to prevent forest fires. Our Spring hasn’t been wet at all so thankfully we’ve had no flooding, but now we’ve got drought on our minds again too.
I do hope you have more sunny, blue skied days ahead and a more normal rain fall and an easy winter! I’ll be keeping you and the country in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks Deborah, and we the same for you and yours 🙂
Your flower paintings are BEAUTIFUL! Have a fun trip! Jarlath
On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Circadianreflections Blog wrote:
> circadianreflections posted: ” Copyright ©2022 Deborah M. Zajac. ALL > RIGHTS RESERVED We had #1 Grandson with us last week which was so nice. One > of the things we did was visit an Animal Sanctuary in No. Reno called > Animal Ark. My favorite were the Cheetahs. Here are two. One want” >
Thank you so much, Jarlath!!
Let’s see if we can get together next week for wildflowers and birding. 😀🌼
I like the new measurement system: red-tailed Hawk wingspan wide, Pinyon Jay high, cheetah tail thick, apple blossom sweet… Your photos make each one come to life!
Lol! I like your spin on the new measurement system the best! Thank you so much!! 😀
I still can’t get used to #1 grandson being so old. Where did the time go? Congrats on the new lifer and your work on the watercolor (I think that is very nice).
I hope you have good weather and clear skies for camping. Enjoy!
Thank you so much, Dan! I know he’s growing up so fast!!
The Pinyon Jay was a neat sighting. There’s only two Jays left that I haven’t seen now. The Woodhouse and the Blue Jay called Cyanocitta cristata.
I’d gladly send you a flock of Blue Jays 😏
If only!! 😀🤣
#1 Grandson is getting so big and handsome too! 😃 What a great display of different bird wing sizes. And beautiful photo of the bird! Your flower painting is beautiful! You are doing so well with your watercolor! I’m impressed! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thank you so much, Jill! He’s growing up so fast!
Isn’t that a fun way to compare our arms and sizes.
Thanks for you encouragement all these years with my painting! I’ve really felt it helps! 😍
Beautiful shots, Deborah! And that watercolour painting?! I am in awe.
Deb
Thank you so much, Deb! You made my day!! 😍
Wow, your grandson is really growing up! The Pinyon Jay was a nice capture and the branches and tree didn’t affect the shot.
Isn’t he!! I just want to stop time sometimes or at the very least slow it down.
Thank you so much for your comment regarding the Pinyon Jay. I was so excited to see it perched so I could get a shot of it.
You had a busy time, Deborah! That’s a nice way of measuring the actual wingspan of birds. I probably be a sparrow, albeit a somewhat larger one. 🙂 I love your rose painting! Have a good time camping, birding and starring, if that is a verb. We got a cold and wet spell over here, but next week will be spring (again)!
It was a busy and fun two weeks. LOL! I like the measuring system too.
Thank you so much, Peter! I hope you have a great rest of the week too! April showers bring May flowers!! 😀
Terrific artwork, Deborah. I enjoyed your photos. The Cheeta’s look downright relaxed.
The Cheetah’s were so cool! I hadn’t seen those at a zoo in a long, long time. I’m going to be going back to that zoo again and again.
Thanks for your lovely comments, John!
Qite a thrill for the little one too. 😁
It was! 😀
I like the photo of your grandson aka a red-tailed hawk. I adore your photo of the Pinyon Jay. So detailed. Great shot
Thank you so much, Ally! I was so excited to see that Jay again. #1 GS is growing up too fast! 😍
Beautiful everything, especially your art. Have a lovely camping trip!
Thank you so much, Manja! 😍🤗