Many years ago a friend of mine got me a book that was "The Thirteen Days of Halloween", taking off from the "Twelve Days of Christmas" song in a delightfully wicked way. The chorus was, of course, A Vulture In A Dead Tree. Today what started out as an entirely uninteresting trip to get fuel for my lawn mower became considerably more interesting as I discovered long lines at the closest filling stations (gas has experienced a sharp drop in price, and everyone's grabbing a tankful while the prices last) so I wandered about, and came across a trio of huge birds circling at treetop level right over the road I was on. Even better, this magnificent Turkey Vulture was perched atop a dead tree, no less! I absolutely had to stop, of course, and the compact Canon Powershot was stretched to its absolute limits trying to capture these wonderful birds as they circled overhead. No doubt annoyed at my intrusion into their day. Now the strains of that Christmas carol, with words its hapless composer never intended, are dancing through my head as I look at these different shots of the circling scavengers. It seems so appropriate, given my plans on snapping up the cheaper gasoline while it lasts. Have a good weekend, everyone, and remember to give your good friends an unexpected gift of friendship when you get the chance, because life always changes and as the vultures know, grab the opportunites you find while you can.