The San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Confluence Park Trailhead, North, Total Sensory Overload

Today's photos:

The one phrase I can't get out of my head that summarizes today's walk is "total sensory overload." For a nature photographer, the San Antonio River with its ongoing restoration is nothing less than phenomenal, a constant binge of image opportunities. It almost makes nature photography too easy. Not that I am complaining.

Today I covered the section between Confluence Park and Roosevelt Park. This part of the river primarily passes through an industrial area of the city, but other than the short section that parallels the U.S. 90 bridge, it's easy to overlook the environment beyond the river channel.

Once again, the photos are something of a random sample from all that I took today so that I can get this posted in a timely manner. There will be several more posts from all three of my walks this week.

Rock Squirrels

During my walk on Friday, September 2, along the Leon Creek Greenway north of O. P. Schnabel Park, the same one where I photographed the olive-sided flycatcher, I was walking below a fairly high cliff that is on the west side of the creek bed. The arrangement of three trees partway up the side of the cliff caught my eye and I took a photo using the 70 mm setting on the telephoto lens:

After seeing the photo on the LCD screen, I decided I wanted a wider angle view to include more of the rock face than the 70 mm setting allowed, so I changed to the wide angle zoom lens:

There was a very subtle change in the subject while I was looking at the camera changing the lens. I didn't notice this small change at first. I took a couple more photos using different focal lengths on the wide angle zoom lens. At some point I did notice what appeared to be a short, dark stump on the right side of the base of the tree to the left of center. I assumed it was inanimate because it didn't move at all while I was taking the photos.

All of a sudden it did move and I quickly switched back to the telephoto zoom:

It was an animal after all. I followed it for sometime taking a series of photos:

Eventually, it headed to the cliff and scampered up the rock face with great ease where it was joined by another:

And finally, it ducked out of sight:

It certainly looked like a squirrel, but it was huge, about the size of a small house cat. It was considerably bigger than the more common fox squirrel.

These are rock squirrels. The adult is about eighteen inches long from nose to the tip of the tail. They primarily live in rocky areas and are quite adept rock climbers. In Bexar County they are found in the northwest section where the Hill Country environment provides an ideal habitat.

The San Antonio River, Mission Reach, Concepcíon Park Trailhead to Confluence Park (And Back)

Today's photos:

I walked early this morning, at least early for me. At the moment I am at a loss for words. The photos say more than I can possibly write.


I am writing this after the news that Steve Jobs has died. I dedicate this post to his memory. Without his innovations, this blog would likely not exist. As computer technology came on the market, I went straight from a Commodore 64 to a Mac. I learned digital photography using a Mac platform.

I have the greatest admiration for both Steve Job's work and for him as a person. He had an unwavering commitment to excellence. With my own experience with medical crisis, I especially relate to a quote from the 2005 commencement address he delivered at Stanford University:

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.