Birdwatching or watching a bird in Scottsdale, Arizona

Last year, a friend invited me to participate in a golf tournament with her and two other ladies in Scottsdale. I'm no golfer, but I have clubs. So I'll play when asked or when I have time. This was one of those times. The photo above was taken at the golf course, and I'm certain my ball is still in that lake. Regardless, this photo also shows you where my mind really was--and it wasn't on golf.

I'm just not that good to be that competitive. Besides, it had been so long since I'd played I couldn't even remember how to put my gloves on. When they didn't seem to fit right, I asked the pro that helped us get started, and he says to me, "Well, that's because you have them on backwards."

You know, I would have been embarrassed by that remark, but instead I just busted out laughing and showed my friends what I'd done. Who does that!? We all got a good laugh at my mistake, and then teed off to start the game.

And I couldn't help but think thank goodness my friend's dad had paid for the tournament.  

There were prizes for any player who got a hole in one and other such feats, but every time we turned around, there was another cart driving up to us, offering something to drink--no charge! Margaritas, beers, margaritas, some other kind of cocktail that my fuzzy brain no longer remembers. Needless to say, we laughed a lot at this tournament, hit balls in all different directions save for straight ahead, drove the cart recklessly on and off the path, and didn't stand a chance at winning anything.

So you can imagine three hours into this, when I spied the great blue heron, my mind was ready to be mesmerized by something I could actually see. It was challenging trying to track my ball all the way into the rough on the left and then the right and then the left again, before we'd even hit the green. I was zig-zagging my way through the course, hole after hole. My mind needed a new focus, and this bird did the trick.

Did you know herons like this one have a very slow walk? It's very precise, even lyrical I'd say. I told my golf mates, "She's looks as if she's walking down the church aisle at her wedding." I could even hear the wedding march in my head as I watched the bird move gracefully across the shallow pond. I forgot about the game for a while when I decided to get a picture of her. So I moved in closer and closer. But my camera doesn't have a particularly powerful zoom, and I didn't want to scare the bird off, so I snapped several photos, getting the closest of close-ups I could get with my cell phone's camera.

This picture above is the best I could do with my Android. A video would have been perfect so I could have captured the walk, but I can still see it fresh in my mind as if it were happening right now.

And so I challenge you: The next time you're out in nature, be on the lookout for that which mesmerizes you. There's joy to be found in nature. It doesn't have to be a bird. It can be a garden, a specific flower, a bug, a mountain view, or a sunset. No matter. Just remember to take the time to observe and enjoy the detail. Then take what you see home with you, in the form of a picture or a memory. If you've done this recently already, tell us what you saw and why it captured your attention. Post your comments here.