Saturday, November 24, post-black Friday

I  did not want to run tonight. After seeing Jessica and Josh off very early this morning, watching Ohio State beat Michigan, eating pizza with Adam and Mary Ann, I just wanted to nap, not run.

I finally dragged my dusty ole carcass out of the house, taking along both dogs and my head lamp. Headed straight up into the Sandias, managing to avoid the route that I took the other, the one evening that brought me to the edge of the homeless camp. Not that I have anything against homeless people, but I didn't want to go running into their space.

By the time I clambered over the boulders to the first ridge, the sun was down and the moon, not quite full, was up and it was time to turn around. Coming back down across the power lines, I thought I heard a deep, resonant, whooo whoooo. I stopped under the power line poles to listen. Yes, there it was again. I looked up to the top of the big pole and saw the outline of a great horned owl. It was too dark to see it well, but the "horns" were visible. After a moment, we headed on down the trail.Then I heard it call again, only this time the pitch was different. I turned back and saw that there were now TWO great horned owls.

Daylight had faded and I was trying to decide whether to use the headlamp. I decided to try to make it home without it. My reward: running through the moon shadows.

Pretty special evening.