Mojave Monday

Today was another normal Monday.  We had our usual morning meeting at the shop, followed by an administrative meeting in the office.  I reported to the group about the uneventful weekend and heard everyone's plans for the week.  I did a little office work after the meeting and somehow, 11:30 rolled around before I knew it.  I headed north to the distant areas of the park for a weekly visit.  I was hoping to see some more of the wildflowers that I caught last week.  To my surprise, there were almost no flowers this time.  They must have all melted, it has been hot and dry this week.   The only ones that I saw have been photographed thoroughly on the blog.  To be honest, I didn't mind that there weren't any good photo ops, I wasn't really looking forward to standing in the hot sun to take pictures.  The temperature got up to 97 degrees today and with the humidity, it felt more like 103.  Can you believe that it isn't even summer yet?  We still have another week of spring!
When I got to Katie's Landing, there were a few things to see.  A Dragonfly was on the ground near my truck.  I snuck up to it slowly to take its picture, but soon realized that it wouldn't fly away from me.  It was dead, but it was still a good opportunity for a photo.  This dragonfly is called a Red Saddlebags for obvious reasons.  The "saddlebags" on its wings may have a purpose aside from a pretty design.  The dark area makes the Dragonfly look bigger which may be in its best interest.  It is also speculated that the design might make the Dragonfly look like a wasp, and who would mess with a wasp?


Near the river, some Ducks had the right idea.  What a good day for a swim!  I guess if you are a duck, every day is a good day for a swim.  There were also some Mullet leaping out of the water.  I'm sure that they appreciated the cool water that they live in even more after a trip through the hot, humid air.


I stopped for some lunch on the way back to the main area of the park, then I headed back to the office.  I did the paperwork associated with the properties that I visited today and thought that I would sneak away home a little early to make up for my late weekend days.  I stopped at the ranger station to enter a deposit into the computer, and to post a new schedule.  I made the mistake of answering the phone though while the rangers were busy.  I thought it would be a quick question that I could answer, like it usually is.  It was a person wanting to rent a pavilion.  I started the call, I figured that I might as well finish what I started.  I took the reservation and did all of the paperwork.  Then I was put on hold to be transferred to the person who would be paying for the pavilion.  I waited, and waited.  Two of the rangers who had come in to cool off left.  Another ranger got ready to go home because it was that time.  I finally gave up.  I called back the number that they gave me and asked that when the person was available that he call the ranger station.  I didn't make it home early, but at least I made it home on time.

Thought of the Day #10
Ten days left of my 365 days!!  What a year!  I am looking forward to having a little more free time once the blog is over, but it has still been a great experience.  I guess for my last ten days, I will tell you ten reasons why I have enjoyed blogging about my job.  Where should I start?!  It has been wonderful to press my photography a little.  My best work prior to the blog had been when I was taking photography classes in school and was given assignments to complete.  I had to take photos based on a specific theme or topic.  Sometimes the photos were so-so if I wasn't interested in the topic, but quite often, I came up with images that I was proud of.  Without an assignment, quite often my camera stayed at home.  The blog became my assignment again and reminded me to keep taking photos.  Just like in school, some of the photos were ordinary or just told the story of the day.  I have had some great moments though that captured the magic of the natural world around me.