Monday, January 24, 2011

OFF TO THE WHITEWATER DRAW WITH THE TUMBLEWEED PHOTO GROUP

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FLOCKS UPON FLOCKS OF SAND HILL CRANES

Instead of our photo group meeting today at 1 p.m. in the Elfrida Library it was determined a week ago to meet later in the afternoon around 4 at Cochise Counties WHITEWATER DRAW.  This is a short 20 minute drive from where we are & only a mile west of the Ranch where we have spent some time the past couple years ranch sitting.

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I arrived at the Whitewater draw early & everyone was already there so we headed out along one of the berms to a viewing platform.   Had a stiff breeze blowing but at least it wasn’t a cold stiff breeze.  Some of the group moved to a second viewing area but fellow member Ray & I stayed put.  I just head to much equipment to pack up for a second move.

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SOME FELLOW MEMBERS SETTING UP A SECOND POSITION

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JIM SETS UP HIS NIKON SPOTTING SCOPE

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RAY WAS ALL ‘CONCENTRATION’ THIS AFTERNOON

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SOME FELLOW SNOW BIRD’S DROPPED BY FROM MONTANA & NEBRASKA

Nothing spectacular happening with the Sand Hill Cranes today so my photos kind of reflect that.  Had the thousands of birds suddenly lifted into the air all at once we might have had something but for the most part the gang was just hanging out & staying put.  The Cranes were about a quarter to half a mile away so even with telephoto lenses a good sharp Sand Hill Crane photo just didn’t happen today:((

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It was just nice being out with some folks with similar nature photography interests for change & I enjoyed that.  No doubt I should get off my duff & do more things along those lines.

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LANDING GEAR IS DOWN

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Finished my, ‘When All Roads Led To Tombstone’ book today.  Another in a series of great reads about the history here in Arizona’s Cochise County & surrounding areas.  I feel somewhat enlightened & for sure better educated about life in these parts back in the late 1800’s. 

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The last few chapters in this book are dedicated to what really happened in Tombstone on October 26th 1881.  It is the eyewitness accounts & trial testimonies of first hand witnesses to the shooting that occurred at Tombstone’s OK Corral.  The gunfight was witnessed by townsfolk & their accounts, word for word, are recorded.  The testimonies of Wyatt & Virgil Earp were also recorded at a Magistrates hearing between Oct. 31rst & October 29th.  On December 1rst Magistrate Wells Spicer handed down his verdict about the shooting deaths of Tom & Frank McLowry & Billy Clanton.   The 4 people charged in that shooting were brothers Morgan, Virgil & Wyatt Earp, along with John ‘Doc’ Holliday.  The final words of the last paragraph in the Judge’s verdict reads….”There being no sufficient cause to believe the within named,” Wyatt S. Earp & John H. Holliday, guilty of the offense mentioned within,” I order them to be released.”  Wells Spicer…Magistrate.

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For anyone interested in the bullet by bullet account of what really happened that day I suggest they read the final chapters of this book & the eye witness accounts of the people who were there & testified to what they saw.  And, here’s a little known fact…William F. Clairborne testified at this hearing for the prosecution.  He had been in a group talking with the Clantons & McLowrys just moments before the shooting started but had slipped away just before the bullets started flying.  And who was William F. Clairborne??  He was better known by his nickname….’Billy The Kid.’

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  And, did you know a cigarette can be accurately defined as a pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool on the other.  Divorce of course is sometimes thought of as the future tense of marriage and a lecture is often the art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through "the minds of either."  Oh, & should a conference be convened it could be said that it is the confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

13 comments:

  1. Thank you Al & Kelly for incredible pictures :)

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  2. I enjoy looking at all of your photos.
    re: my list blog
    Thanks for the comment it made me smile. I am hoping to be traveling near other RV'ers and will have to learn to ask for help if I need it. I don't think I will be boondocking alone until I get used to everything.

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  3. The pictures you got of the cranes were fine. If I like the subject, I usually like the picture!

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  4. Excellent shots.
    In Israel they do a lot of damage in the fields,so now they are feeded and stay at one location.

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  5. Superb Photo's Al. That book sounds interesting. If I had a longer attention span, I would read it....
    Keep shootin!!

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  6. You caption "FLOCKS UPON FLOCKS OF SAND HILL CRANES" could be changed to "SEDGE UPON SEDGE OF SAND HILL CRANES".

    Almost all animal/bird groups have a particular nomenclature both scientific and common. A group of cranes is a sedge of cranes. Great trivia answer!

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  7. One of these days we have got to go out to Whitewater Draw--sandhills are all around us in the summer and I love to hear their call and see those prehistoric looking critters take flight!

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  8. Didn't know it was a sedge of cranes. Either way, I liked looking at all of the pictures. I think it's enjoyable to be out with a group of like minded folks. :)

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  9. that was a ton of sandhill cranes!..too bad they didn't come in for their close up!..don't they know you are trying to write a blog and post their pictures so they can be famous!!..geesh!!

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  10. Wow... pictures are fabulous!!! Your doing pics like a pro. Love the sandhill cranes ☺
    Have fun & travel safe
    Donna

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  11. For a minute there, I thought I'd stumbled across Judy and Emmi's 'Bird Blog'!! Great photos of all those cranes!

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  12. Hey I'm gonna use that trivia "sedge of cranes" and try to impress Judy!
    Great pics and what a wonderful outting-glad you got off your duff!I should be so inspired.
    Lol
    Kathy

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  13. Thanks Professor Al for the great slice of history in Tombstone..loved it..Loved your Sandhill Crane sedges, flocks, herds, gaggles..whatever...A Gazillion of 'em!!

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