As a hobbyist nature and wildlife photographer in Central Texas, summer is my least productive time due to the heat. We had some cooler temperatures a couple of weeks ago, and I went again to Berry Springs Park, where I captured a photo of this fine specimen.

Katie and I got away to the mountains of New Mexico for a week! View my curated photo album here. 

I find this op-ed infuriating. The writer explains the change in mindset that he thinks takes place as you learn to use a gun for self-defense:

Your thought-process starts to change. Yes, if someone tried to break into your house, you know that you’d call 911 and pray for the police to come quickly, but you also start to think of exactly what else you’d do. If you heard that “bump” in the night, how would you protect yourself until the police arrived?  You’re surprised at how much safer you feel with the gun in the house.

He may feel safer, but statistics show that he isn’t, in fact, safer. People who mistake perceived safety with actual safety really get my goat.

But even worse, he’s describing the culture that leads a mentally unstable individual to hoard guns and think about using them against those who they perceive as having wronged them vs some other–possibly equally horrible but less deadly–outlet for their feelings.

At the end of this process, your life has changed for the better. Your community has expanded to include people you truly like, who’ve perhaps helped you through a tough time in your life, and you treasure these relationships. You feel a sense of burning conviction that you, your family, and your community are safer and freer because you own and carry a gun.

The guy really needs to join a church or even a bowling team.

As a redditor commented recently:

Many people own firearms in America to protect themselves from ‘bad people.’ This could be a range of people from home invaders to a potentially tyrannical government. When gun ownership for the purposes of killing bad people is a cultural norm, then you cannot be surprised when somebody shoots who they see as the bad people, even if you don’t think those people are bad people.

Taken on December 25, 2017, in Bandera, Texas

This is a really interesting analysis of recent developments in Google Maps.

This morning, we had some early fall weather, so I ran 9 miles with Charlies the wonder dog, which is about a mile more than his previous longest run. And I declare myself on track to run a half marathon this winter, for the first time in 13 years.

There are bobcats living in the green areas among the houses in our suburban area. I saw one once myself. This photo is the clearest one yet, taken in front of the model home of the next subdivision over from us. Keep your house cats indoors, Pflugervillains, lest they become a snack for this guy and his family!

“[T]here are two groups responsible for Trump’s win: those who yearn for an America that never existed, and those who yearn for an America that can never exist.” –from a BuzzFeed profile of Sherman Alexie