A Christmas parade
Tonight is the big Christmas parade downtown on Main Street, and I'll be going to watch that. But I'm not sure what the best and most comfortable option is.
The parade is a lighted parade, which means it will start around 6:00 p.m. And according to the advertising, it will last until 8:00 pm. And that means that staying warm and comfortable will be challenging.
Getting to the parade will be easy enough. I've only got to walk for two blocks. And then find a place to sit. My first problem will be getting there at the right time. I don't want to get there too early and just stand around doing nothing, and I don't want to get there too late when there's no place to stand to get pictures. I'll probably take my folding lawn chair to sit in to take a break from standing that long, and I'm also going to have to bundle up because the altitude here is about 4,500 feet, and it's a desert. So it's going to be pretty chilly that time of night. I also figure that taking pictures is going to be challenging since it will be dark, and yet my subjects will be moving, which will require a fairly fast shutter speed and at the same time a lower f-stop. Getting a decent picture is not impossible, but it will be demanding. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to it. And it. Sounds like a good way to start my holidays.
Theboondork
when you have a 6-foot wingspan, you can land wherever you want. And everyone has to get out of the way.
During the daytime, the cranes will often separate into half a dozen different groups.
Calm winds and a cloudless blue sky, it's the best a crane can ask for.
One of several groups that spend the day relaxing at Whitewater Draw. During the daytime, they are just as happy on land or in the water; they can feed either way, but at nighttime, the coyotes come. And the water is safer.
The last picture I took before leaving Whitewater Draw. It shows a family of cranes leaving the lakes to go feed at daybreak. I, too, left shortly thereafter. Just like the cranes, I am called to pack up and leave. To wander the West in search of comfortable weather and a safe place to rest for the night.