After months of zero precipitation, we got a little rain today. An afternoon thunderstorm pelted us with large drops of heavy rain and a little bit of hail for about 30 minutes around 2:00 pm. I heard on the radio that emergency crews were involved in a swift water rescue in the large drainage channel that separates the east and west bound lanes on I-40. According to one website, one person was killed and five others rescued from swift water in flooding arroyos around the metro area this afternoon. I checked the rain gage first thing when I got home and we received 0.18 inch of rain at our house. The National Weather Service website is reporting 0.17 inch of rain for Albuquerque.

We had our 5th Annual Corrales Rose Society Dr Huey Tour today. With so many of our other roses blooming early and almost bloomed out, we were thinking Dr Huey might be bloomed out by the time we had a free weekend for the tour. But Dr Huey was still in full bloom all over Corrales.

Our giant Dr Huey

One of Antonio's Dr Hueys

The giant climbing Dr Huey on West Ella.

Dr Huey at the vineyard.

Another of our fine Dr Hueys

Dr Huey with Peace

One of our iris gardens with Dr Huey.

Ooh! Do you see what mama has?

The owlets and their mama have become the nightly entertainment this week.

Mama owl with a garter snake.

Owlet 1: "What are you doing?" Owlet 2: "That snake was great. I'm Flying! Can't you tell?"

"This is how you fly!"

"And like this!"

"Okay. I'm done you can come out now!"

Owlet 2: "Are you really done? Are you sure it's really safe?" Owlet 1: "Yes. I'm sure."

"It looks like all those silly people are still watching us."

Intermission — Sliver moon and Venus over cottonwoods at dusk.

Owlet 1: "Do you see mama anywhere?" Owlet 2: "Is that her?"

Owlet lounging higher in the tree late in the afternoon.

Squint like Clint in the bright afternoon light.

"Is that mama with dinner?"

"What are you looking at you stupid paparazzo?"

Entrance

“Ice cold water is runnin' through my veins.
They try and drag me back to work again.
Pain and blisters on my mind and hands.Ӡ
Flying all day dropping three tons of bombs.††

Nose gunner

Cockpit

Cockpit panorama

Bomb bay

Bomb bay looking at cockpit

Radios looking into ammo belt feeders over belly turret

Ammo belts over belly turret

Ammo belts where they feed into belly turret

Tail fin

Machine gun

radio

Rear entrance

Tail gunner

B17

†Verse from "Inside-Looking Out”. 1966 single by the Animals. Also recorded by Grand Funk Railroad in 1969.
†† My version of the last line of the verse.

Two owlets looking at us gawking at them.

Two doors down the owls have owlets that are cute and having a party poking their heads up above the edge of the hollow in the cottonwood, bobbing their heads from side to side, and hissing at the dog in the yard that was barking at us. The light was low as the sun had set behind the owlets, and the canopy of the cottonwoods cut the light down even more. The camera was having a hard time focusing on the owlets as autofocus was going for the cottonwood, so I had to use manual focus in the low light.  Mama owl landed in a cottonwood tree across the ditch from the owlets. Since she was facing west, there was enough light on her to get a good exposure.

This shot looks like there might be three owlets.

Mama owl

The blurry owlet is bobbing from side to side.

Another shot that looks like a third owl on the left.

Three Bat Abstractions are the result of bats buzzing me last night after sunset.

Solar system balloon

Loki, Lola and I were still in bed at sunrise. Loki was sprawled out from my thighs to my stomach, purring therapeutically as I scritched him around his face. Lola was laying on my right arm and shoulder with her head snuggled under my chin. We were all quite comfortable enjoying a peaceful morning.  Our scratch and purr fest ended abruptly when Loki and Lola sat up straight to the swooshing sound of burners. Both of the kitties ran across my chest to the window to see what was making the noise. They probably recognized the sound of the balloons' burners, and were looking for the balloons — all our cats love watching hot air balloons when they float over the house. I got up, grabbed my camera and walked out the front door to find two black balloons passing overhead. One was solid black, the other had the solar system on it. I made coffee using Coconut Almond Delight flavored beans for Laurie's coffee, and the usual dark roast beans for my coffee.  I did a few chores before going outside to drag hoses around and start drip systems on the Sunday rotation. I noticed a lot of bees, tiny butterflies and a ladybug were foraging in the flowers and purple salvia every time I went out to check on water, take breaks from research, and while I was walking back and forth from the grill preparing our mother's day meal. The bees, butterflies and ladybug called for me to use a macro lens for Mother's Day.

All black

Dr. Huey joined us on the deck

The ladybug was shy and kept hiding behind leaves.

Crab spider reminded me it was time to prepare our mother's day meal.

I thew a couple of streaks and giant shrimp on the grill.

Prepared corn, seasoned fries, salad, and topped the steaks with green chile and extra sharp cheddar cheese.

My steak was medium rare. Laurie likes hers more on the rare side. All was delicious.

Spunk and Lola think it's about time I got my butt into gear, cleaned and opened the deck.

I got new flowers to plant in the pots around the deck, cleaned up the deck, and opened the deck for mother's day. Tomorrow we are going to do some grilling and party with the kitties between all the stuff that has to be done to finish up the school year.

Lola

There are really four temperatures represented, but I'm comparing two each of the temperatures — 1) indoor/outdoor and 2) under canopy/in the shade. The second photo of our weather station screen shows an indoor temperature of 70.2ºF and an indoor humidity of 55% at 18:13. The outdoor temperature is 90.7ºF and the outdoor humidity is 12%. So how is it the indoor temperature is so much cooler and the humidity so much higher than it was outdoors? I'm running an evaporative cooler, also known as a "swamp cooler". The reason the outdoor humidity is at 12% is because I irrigated last night and the ground around the outdoor thermometer is saturated. According the the Weather Channel, the relative humidity in Albuquerque at 18:15 was 8%. 

The temperature by Lola's tail around 18:00 was about 88ºF under the canopy on the deck. The temperature on the thermometer hanging on the fence in the shade behind Rio Samba at 18:05 was about 84ºF. It was 4 degrees cooler in the shade than on the deck. The deck was 2 degrees cooler than out in the open, and the outdoor humidity was low enough, that the swamp cooler was able to keep the house 20 degrees cooler than the outdoor temperature.

Rio Samba

You are really silly. You know that don't you?

I was following the demolition of the old fountain and construction of this new fountain last year (http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2017/4/mayor-berry-tear-down-this-fountain http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2017/5/and-the-fountain-comes-tumbling-down, http://photos.tandlphotos.com/blog/2017/8/no-joy), but between dealing with foot pain and changes in schedule, I had not taken a walk to Civic Plaza in months. I walked by it the other morning and the new fountain was running.

Love. Rough around the edges.

Tuscan Sun

America

Pink Iceberg

Betty Boop