I have been in a lot of places to see a lot of people the last couple weeks and it’s been a real haul. A joyful and emotional haul. Vancouver, Tacoma, Portland, and I’m now having a two-day layover in Albuquerque. I just needed to not think for a couple days. I walk around the neighborhood I’m staying in here in New Mexico and smell the oily, weeping wood of the trees on a 70 degree, windy, overcast day, and I exhale. My eyes are tired and hungry and I look hard at everything.
Man. From first times, to fast times, to Animal times. I’m hooked.
Perseverance. Good fortune. Protection.
Roadrunner teaches how to outrun, outperform, and outlast the outer circumstantial world. With courage, expediency, and effectiveness. Coyote ain’t got nothin’ on the ‘Meep Meep’ (... yes Mr. Deville,,, it IS time for your close up. ;) )
Living in Santa Fe for 9 years (now in Bellingham, WA) I only briefly saw a roadrunner once (on the roadway leading to the ABQ Sunport) until one afternoon I saw one in my neighbors's yard across the street. It was picking up and slamming a small rodent on the sidewalk. After a few minutes of that, it tilted its head back and the rodent went down the gullet. The roadrunner casually walked across the yard, and carried on. Thanks for the reminder of that moment!
Yesss! I just saw a bald eagle the other day, I've seen them before many times, but this one was right behind my own house! I've never seen one so close to where I live before, and I had exactly that sort of magical feeling.
Lest we forget Bug’s infamous crossroads predicament...”Hmmmm. I knew I shoulda made that left at Albuquerque... [insert any perilous situation that a roadrunner, a hare, and a possum cannot outrun, out wit, and out scare say, a Wiley Coyote. Just sayin’.] [in other words ... insert Looney Tunes gif here] 🤙🏼
Back in the early 80s, we lived in Sierra Vista in southern Arizona with our two Tonkinese Cats, Brendan and Moira. Brendan was the far more adventurous of the two, and one day I was up on the flat, southwestern doing something, probably ineffective and most likely unsuccessful with the evaporative cooler when suddenly a road runner hopped of the lip of the roof, vogued his way across the roof giving me a disgruntled look, and hopped up on the facia on the front of the house. I then heard a noise that sounded like Brendan and looked over at the ladder while he hopped up on the roof and did the cat stalking a bird thing. The roadrunner stared at him, kind of shook his head in disgust, and hoped over the roof, landed on the entrance covering and then wandered on down the street. Brendan ran over to the roof and watched the bird walk away, looked at me like the bird's escape was my fault, and he then talked to me in his "dirty little old man from Laugh-In Voice." I'm sure he was telling me to do something so he catch the bird. I picked him up and let him jump down to the lawn.
From then on, a couple of times a week, we'd have a road runner jump/land/hop on the roof, and then hop down to the front of the house and take off down the street, making its rounds. Brendan would charge from the back of the house to one of the front windows and stare at the thing, making that cat plotting to get a bird chatter.
The birds ignored him, of course. But, I really figured that the word had gotten out that the white house in the middle of the block had an easily frustrated cat in it and making it crazier was part of the road runner's duty and responsibility to the species. Or something like that.
What a nice surprise to hear that you may be around the next corner, here in Burque, having your coffee and chillin'. As you may know, this is not our typical spring weather. Go for a hike in the bosque alongside Tingley beach, maybe you'll see a few more RR's, or a porcupine. Enjoy your stay!
Congratulations! I live in the Nevada desert and I remember seeing my first roadrunner as a little kid and being very disappointed. THAT BIRD IS NOT BLUE, MOM. It looked nothing like the Bugs Bunny roadrunner and I felt betrayed. Nowadays, I love seeing a roadrunner. And yes, they are such dinosaur birds!
I grew up in southwestern New Mexico, I used to see roadrunners all the time; on more than one occasion with a freshly killed snake in their mouth! I love those birds; last year when I took my family back to NM on vacation, I saw one along the side of the road and pulled off, yelling at everyone in the car to LOOK! LOOK! -- they were not as excited as I was...(they were slightly more engaged when we saw some javelinas...)
As for animals heard of but not seen in real life: even though I grew up about 20 miles from the Gila River and the Gila National Forest, I still to this day have never seen an actual Gila monster in real life. Maybe one day...
I felt the same exact feeling when I saw one for the first time after moving to san Diego area from New England. So cool. Glad you had that fun experience. Even more glad you shared it, and I got to read it, and remember.
MEEP MEEP!
Man. From first times, to fast times, to Animal times. I’m hooked.
Perseverance. Good fortune. Protection.
Roadrunner teaches how to outrun, outperform, and outlast the outer circumstantial world. With courage, expediency, and effectiveness. Coyote ain’t got nothin’ on the ‘Meep Meep’ (... yes Mr. Deville,,, it IS time for your close up. ;) )
It never gets old. I am giddy every time I see them.
Living in Santa Fe for 9 years (now in Bellingham, WA) I only briefly saw a roadrunner once (on the roadway leading to the ABQ Sunport) until one afternoon I saw one in my neighbors's yard across the street. It was picking up and slamming a small rodent on the sidewalk. After a few minutes of that, it tilted its head back and the rodent went down the gullet. The roadrunner casually walked across the yard, and carried on. Thanks for the reminder of that moment!
.....goin’ faster miles an hour 💨
Yesss! I just saw a bald eagle the other day, I've seen them before many times, but this one was right behind my own house! I've never seen one so close to where I live before, and I had exactly that sort of magical feeling.
Lest we forget Bug’s infamous crossroads predicament...”Hmmmm. I knew I shoulda made that left at Albuquerque... [insert any perilous situation that a roadrunner, a hare, and a possum cannot outrun, out wit, and out scare say, a Wiley Coyote. Just sayin’.] [in other words ... insert Looney Tunes gif here] 🤙🏼
Lucky you, plus, I bet the Roady was posing. Beautiful pic, Kid.
Back in the early 80s, we lived in Sierra Vista in southern Arizona with our two Tonkinese Cats, Brendan and Moira. Brendan was the far more adventurous of the two, and one day I was up on the flat, southwestern doing something, probably ineffective and most likely unsuccessful with the evaporative cooler when suddenly a road runner hopped of the lip of the roof, vogued his way across the roof giving me a disgruntled look, and hopped up on the facia on the front of the house. I then heard a noise that sounded like Brendan and looked over at the ladder while he hopped up on the roof and did the cat stalking a bird thing. The roadrunner stared at him, kind of shook his head in disgust, and hoped over the roof, landed on the entrance covering and then wandered on down the street. Brendan ran over to the roof and watched the bird walk away, looked at me like the bird's escape was my fault, and he then talked to me in his "dirty little old man from Laugh-In Voice." I'm sure he was telling me to do something so he catch the bird. I picked him up and let him jump down to the lawn.
From then on, a couple of times a week, we'd have a road runner jump/land/hop on the roof, and then hop down to the front of the house and take off down the street, making its rounds. Brendan would charge from the back of the house to one of the front windows and stare at the thing, making that cat plotting to get a bird chatter.
The birds ignored him, of course. But, I really figured that the word had gotten out that the white house in the middle of the block had an easily frustrated cat in it and making it crazier was part of the road runner's duty and responsibility to the species. Or something like that.
Heck freaking yes.
Don't follow it into a cave!
What a nice surprise to hear that you may be around the next corner, here in Burque, having your coffee and chillin'. As you may know, this is not our typical spring weather. Go for a hike in the bosque alongside Tingley beach, maybe you'll see a few more RR's, or a porcupine. Enjoy your stay!
Congratulations! I live in the Nevada desert and I remember seeing my first roadrunner as a little kid and being very disappointed. THAT BIRD IS NOT BLUE, MOM. It looked nothing like the Bugs Bunny roadrunner and I felt betrayed. Nowadays, I love seeing a roadrunner. And yes, they are such dinosaur birds!
I grew up in southwestern New Mexico, I used to see roadrunners all the time; on more than one occasion with a freshly killed snake in their mouth! I love those birds; last year when I took my family back to NM on vacation, I saw one along the side of the road and pulled off, yelling at everyone in the car to LOOK! LOOK! -- they were not as excited as I was...(they were slightly more engaged when we saw some javelinas...)
As for animals heard of but not seen in real life: even though I grew up about 20 miles from the Gila River and the Gila National Forest, I still to this day have never seen an actual Gila monster in real life. Maybe one day...
It makes total sense to me that you're a Loony Tunes fan.
I felt the same exact feeling when I saw one for the first time after moving to san Diego area from New England. So cool. Glad you had that fun experience. Even more glad you shared it, and I got to read it, and remember.