MY BLUE HERON

As I've shared with loyalists before, by the way a loyalist is a loyal reader, the older I get the more I love birds. The blue heron is one of my favorites.

A few weeks ago we saw a ton of them on one golf course, Superstition Springs. Some were white. Their huge wing span is one quality I like. When they fly over, if you're shadowed by them, thoughts of Japanese horror films and creatures like Rodan enter your mind.

Another thing I like is how they are constantly watching, hunting for that fish. As suddenly as a flash of lightning, they scoop out the fish and shake it for good measure before enjoying that delicacy.

Another thing is those bird legs. How they can support any weight at all amazes me. Because of my early baseball catching career I built huge calf muscles simply by squatting for my formidable years. Yet I marvel at athletes and birds who have no apparent calf muscles.

Finally, I always feel bad when I shoo one away. I don't mean to, but they don't like people looking at their legs and perhaps shadowing a fish they have their hooks (pun) into.