Still a hot one today, but it was Pride Day so we found a slightly shady spot to watch the festivities. Then we set off to Beacon Hill Park to meet our friend Renee and find some more shade.
A local band called Boogaloo en Orbit was playing a free concert at the bandstand so we listened to their cool latin swing, heard a bit about Renee's recent trip to the UK, and I watched for wildlife.
The bandstand is right beside the tall cedars where the heron's nest, and there was a huge ruckus going on in the nests. Three or four pairs of huge squawking, rustling birds flapping about high overhead, and several more parked on branches watching the commotion from a distance. It was awesome. These birds look more like pterodactyls than any bird I know. My phone camera doesn't do them justice, but I tried to snap a photo of the highest bird.
From the big to the small. A cream coloured butterfly floated back and forth beside our blankets, getting carried by the breeze and gently fluttering back to the same area. Then after a few minutes of this, it took off and joined a partner, swirling in tandem above us. Then, back to solo floating. Then back to tandem swirling. It was glorious.
After an hour, the sun shifted so we were baking again. The band wrapped up and we headed for home, to our cool bedroom with fans blowing cross breezes. We'll go further afield soon, but not until the weather breaks.
oof, my phone's zoom has limits