Nature Below and Above

     Lying on inflatable mattresses, MyMrMallory and I watched, between dozes, the Perseid meteor shower. We drove into the countryside, far from city lights, and close to coyotes howling throughout the night. Packs of coyotes communicated to each other from all directions, as if they surrounded us, to the east, the west, the north. Eek. We lay safely inside the truck bed, huddling under a flannel sheet, hoping that the coyotes would not hop up to join us, soft and furry creatures of God though they might be . . .

     Other wildlife included turkey (8), sandpiper (3), nighthawk (6), scissortail (2), mourning dove (countless), a lark sparrow, a hawk, and in the morning we spotted approximately forty wild hogs.

The dark passenger window of the truck provided me with a good filter 

to take a photo of the setting sun.

D4, 35mm, f16, 1/6, 400ISO.

Views to the west and the southeast; we surrounded ourselves with open country. 

D4, 17mm, f11, 1/13 and 30seconds, 1000ISO, brightened a bit in the digital darkroom.

    At times I counted six meteors, one right after the other; at other times, I waited while knowing that soon a white trail would appear from the east, sliding toward the southwest. Some meteors traveled  short paths, others long paths from one horizon the other, and others, impressively, finished their trails by explosion. 

     In the morning, a waning crescent moon rose next to Aldebaran, adding to the beauty of the meteor shower.