Playing With Fire

Yesterday evening my daughter Annika came to help me move my photo blind and feeder out at Ruth Burris' Ranch. When we finished moving the feeder and the blind we sat down next to the pond for a while. I photographed an Eight Spotted Skimmer and a Common Whitetail, both are really cool dragonflies.




Afterwards we drove slowly on the road home checking out the lizards sunning themselves in the fading evening light while looking for birds that we might photograph. We saw quail, bluebirds and even a couple of Western Kingbirds. But all of them were too far off of the road to photograph. Suddenly Annika said. " I saw a paper wasp nest!" I backed the car up and sure enough there was a nest in a Manzanita bush right beside the road.

Annika then told me she always wanted to tap the sides of a nest and run. Being the insane irresponsable parent that I am I said."Ok". She tapped the nest and I got the resulting photo of the wasps pouring out of the nest looking for Annika who by then was safely in the car. Ah the adrenaline rush of youth!



God's Blessings to all,

chris