Friday Night Photos - Too Much Turkey edition

(small groan).

Anyway, we were touring Middle Earth last year in the off season. Here's a shot of the entrance to Moria. Suffice to say, the trek through the mountain is as scary as the account given by J.R.R. Tolkien in his guidebook to the area. The balrog is a 'must see'... or rather a 'must run away'.

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Lookout's picture

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Hope all us turkeys have a good one!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Bollox Ref's picture

@Lookout

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Socialprogressive's picture

Some other birds for those that have had too much turkey.

Golden Weaver
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Northern Mockingbird
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Female Red-winged Blackbird
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Mutant Mallard
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Pine Siskin
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Male Great-tailed Grackle
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When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

Bollox Ref's picture

@Socialprogressive

Not much of a potential roast either....

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

Socialprogressive's picture

@Bollox Ref
He does look a little sorry. Rumor has it The Mrs had a go at him when he didn't come home last night. Talk about angry birds!

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9 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

dystopian's picture

@Bollox Ref I'm with you BR on that Grackle. This is not the example they use in field guides. Wink Birds can really get ragged looking in heavy molt. You are right about the roast though. John James Audubon himself made notes about the flavor of all the birds he painted. He did work from skins he collected and prepared himself. And you didn't waste food in 1840. He said the only two birds unfit for consumption were the crow and the grackle. Which sounds like a fairly typical prejudice to me, but have not mustered the interest to test his hypothesis. I'll leave that, and dung scarabs, to others.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

travelerxxx's picture

@Socialprogressive

SP, your little Golden Weaver appears to doing chin up exercises!

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Socialprogressive's picture

@travelerxxx
10 reps a set. I was very impressed.

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9 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

dystopian's picture

@Socialprogressive GREAT pics SP! Love yer Pine Siskin. They are actually streaky goldfinches, with a fine sharp pointed bill. Mostly with yellow just in wings and tail. I call those frankenducks. Wink That looks like a Mallard x Peking Duck backcross of some flavor. Great work as always!

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9 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Socialprogressive's picture

@dystopian

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6 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

We had Cornish hens. After dinner, the door bell rang. It was our Filipina neighbor. She said she had too much food (their first Thanksgiving as empty nesters) and brought a casserole dish with Turkey Filipino things that look like eggrolls and a noodley thing. Both were scrumptious. Such good neighbors. I don't know what we would do without him. Last year, her husband, Ray, shoveled our driveway every single snowfall and he's showing gray in his hair now. The cold must be especially brutal for someone from a tropical country.

Trumpkins rail about immigrants. I NEVER have a problem with my immigrant neighbors, although the Mexicn neighbors are a little weak on dividing lines. I think in their country people are more communal. americans are more standoffish like the British.

We had a skunk digging under the porch. the Polish lady across the street set a trap and removed it for us.

The only a-holes in the neighborhood are native born with English names.

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10 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

Socialprogressive's picture

@The Voice In the Wilderness
you had some Lumpia(eggroll) and Pancit (noodley thing). Both are like you say, scrumptious.

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11 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.

@Socialprogressive
On Halloween he brought over what looked like skirt steak. I like steak medium rare but Ray always cooks well done. Again, probably a good thing in the tropics. In compensation he has a delicious glaze that he puts on it, like a sweet barbecue sauce. Heaven. Last year we were invited over for a celebration in mid-year. I brought a bottle of red wine. My taste buds are still watering.

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7 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

@Socialprogressive
Thank you for the names. Don't know the traditional thing to drink with it.
But Italian red wine is good as is Sangria. I bought a bottle of Greek Roditis at a close out sale and am waiting to try it. Good color and clarity. Marked down from $10.99 to $2.59. Couldn't resist. Store was full of Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon (sp?), and Prosecco. Prosecco seems to have replaced Champagne in popularity. My prefers is Italian reds and German whites, although I once bought an excellent bottle of organic red from Argentina at Whole Foods. Pricey, like everything there.

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2 users have voted.

I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.

dystopian's picture

Great pic BR! I can't wait to see the home movies you took on your trip!

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6 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Bollox Ref's picture

@dystopian

Mount Doom is as hot as they say. All video vaporized. Still, we found a useful little ring.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

dystopian's picture

A little fallish... Cypress trees line the Sabinal River, in Nov. they turn from green to rusty before the leaflets fall. Sabinal is spanish (or Mexican spanish) for Cypress.
rusty-cypresses112420a.jpg
These are 50' tall, big trees, but are all second growth. Only a few orginal trees remain along the river. As most of the hill country of Texas, all the Cypress were cut in the 1860's, mostly for shingles (!). These we know are the second-growth growback since they denuded the rivers hereabouts. Mostly only trees that split near the base were passed over because they couldn't mill them. We have a few of those locally, giants from days gone by.
SabRiv-rustyCypress112420.jpg

A couple of what are 'winter' birds here a way down south below 30N.
Some Cedar Waxwings were at the bath.
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Some Robin are in now too.
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robin-tussle112620.jpg

Hope all are well livin' la vida quarantina!

play it safe,

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11 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Bollox Ref's picture

@dystopian

saw a Waxwing fairly recently at the bird bath.

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Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.

dystopian's picture

@Bollox Ref you get Bohemian Waxwing up north there. They blow the common Cedar Waxwing away. The Bohemian are the waxwing of the U.K., Europe and Asia as well.
This is one at this story today for the cover shot:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/11/27/under-cover-thanksgiving-tr...

They are gray, bigger than Cedar, have rusty undertail coverts, and a bunch of fancy white and yellow markings on the wing. So very different. Fatter, more Starling shaped. Birders go to MN in winter to see Bohemians. I have only seen them a few times myself, spending too much time too far south.

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6 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

joe shikspack's picture

@dystopian

are you starting to wax rhapsodic? Smile

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dystopian's picture

@joe shikspack oh my that was clever! Wink LOL Logged in just to thumbsup it!

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7 users have voted.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein

Socialprogressive's picture

@dystopian @dystopian
With the colder fall temps setting in the Mourning Dove heading south to warmer temps have started showing up at my feeder and birdbath.

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7 users have voted.

When I offer to wash your back in the shower, all you have to say is yes or no.
Not all this "who are you, and how did you get in here?" nonsense.