An Unintentional Delight!

It was not our intention to spend time exploring the Secret Garden this afternoon--it was just a trip to check the mail.  However, I did grab my camera bag and slipped it over my shoulder before we left.  On the way back, we took the path that runs behind the apartment complex and, there to greet us, was a cat.  As we approached him, we noticed a most peculiar thing.  He had one green eye and one blue eye.  I had seen this on dogs, but never on a cat.  I sat down at the base of one of the stairways hoping to get a picture of those eyes.  I only had time to take three shots before the cat decided that he had had enough of our company.

I was delighted that, out of just three shots, I got one where the stair railing ended up dividing his face right down the middle.  You couldn't plan a shot like that!

As usual, Michael and I wanted to know what causes a cat to have eyes of different colors; so, we researched this phenomena.  It is called, complete heterochromia.  The condition most commonly affects white colored cats but can be found in a cat of any color, as long as it possesses the white spotting gene.  (You can google "heterochromia to learn more if interested.)

After the cat left, we headed down the path and decided to walk home via the creek's edge.  Michael spotted a trail of ants and decided to follow the trail.  They started at the base of the trunk of a huge eucalyptus tree.  Michael followed the trail along the dirt, ducking under low hanging oak tree branches, for approximately 45 feet to the base of a fan palm.  We think they were using one of the palms frans as a bridge to cross the creek.

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah

The ants go marching three by three, hurrah, hurrah
The ants go marching three by three,
The little one stops to climb a tree
And they all go marching down to the ground

We continued along the creek towards home and stopped for one more look before heading towards the landing to our apartment staircase.  Michael noticed that there were many more of the purple flowers that he had seen a week or so ago, growing on the other side of the creek.  We had no real idea what kind of flowers they were, as they are growing in an area you must cross the creek and scale the creek bank on the opposite side to get to.  We could only see that they were purple; but, no detail whatsoever.  I decided to cross over with my camera and take a look up close.  They were beautiful.

I scaled down the back, crossed back over the creek; and as I pulled the weeds from around the bottom of my sundress, Michael brought me over to a patch of weeds and pointed out a tiny purple flower hidden among the foxtails and wild clover.  I zoomed in as close as I could get.  The wind was blowing enough to move this little guy around; but, I was able to get one shot of this weeds lovely bloom.  The flower itself was no larger than a lentil bean.

"Unintentional" can work out quite lovely if one keeps their eyes open along the way!