The One That Got Away

Taking photos of nature can be a bit like fishing.  If everything doesn't come together or just right you'll be sitting there with the proverbial empty hook or perhaps even worse, you'll glimpse greatness with that shot that could have been.  Like that fish that slips the hook while fishing, once a photo opportunity is gone it's generally gone for good.

Today, I had that experience.  I took a once in a lifetime closeup of a great blue heron coasting over the Pascagoula River.  He was beautiful, graceful and powerful.  That photo was the best opportunity I've ever had to capture a heron in flight.  I was elevated, he was camera level, not far from me, and lighting was great.  I saw him coming and almost faster than I could track he was in the view finder and in a beautiful frame.  I depressed the shutter-release. Click.  Life was golden.


THEN, I got out of the bright mid-day sun and back to where I could see the lcd screen.  Oh, the humanity... In my haste I had not checked my camera settings and the camera had been knocked into a strange conglomeration of settings I never use.  


I knew it was no good. I could just tell just from that three inch square on the back of the camera.  There wasn't even anything there that I could fix on the computer.  It was just hopeless.  Oh, I tried but it was a lost cause from the beginning.  The above photo is part of the same series of shots, the heron perching on a pier.  Of course, the settings were wrong for all of the photos.

Tres tragique!  

They are all beyond repair.  It would have been an amazing photo.

Lunch With 'Gator

This week, I've made the effort to carry my camera to work more often and get back into the swing of my lunchtime photo walks.  I fell out of the practice because I simply carry TOO much paraphernalia out the door every morning.  There is my lunch, and my tablet, purse, and sometimes my Ukulele, and sometimes things I need to present preschool storytime at one of the libraries, my coffee, my water bottle, etc. etc. The Finman calls me a pack mule. 

I'm sure he means it in the nicest possible way.

Anyway, I'm sure you can imagine why I got out of the habit of bringing my rather bulky camera.  Imagine my frustration at lunch Monday when I was forced to watch a hawk perching in a nearby tree being dive bombed by the neighborhood mockingbirds.  The grainy photos I took with the five megapixel camera in my tablet didn't really work out.  Thus, the camera is added back to the routine. 

Today, I spent the work day in Ocean Springs and headed down to the Inner Harbor Park for lunch.  What a treat to find this guy soaking up some sun.  It's not every day I have lunch with an alligator.

For Old Time's Sake...



Looking at a P-51 Mustang and B-17 from inside a B-24



As the title states, for old time's sake and not simply because our topic has a bit of history but in my case I'm thinking, "For old time's sake because I used to be a blogger."  More and more lately, I'm trying to come to terms with the idea that perhaps after almost ten years, life-changing events, and countless new friends thanks to the blogoshpere... perhaps, I am no longer a blogger.  Sigh...

For tonight at least I'm a blogger.  So, back to the topic at hand.  Today, on the Mississippi Coast we had a visit from some WW2 Flying Machines.  The Finman and I wandered over to the airport this afternoon for a look.

This was the conversation as we were leaving the car, "I guess I should check my camera battery."  Fin replied, "Good idea."  "I have 41%, that ought to get me through," I said.  Fin affirmed 41% would be enough.  "Of course," I continued, "I may not even take any pictures.  Planes are like waterfalls, you can only have so many photos of planes."  (Fin and I know this to be true because a few years ago while driving in Maui from Lahaina to Hana we pulled over for the 50th time to take photos of yet another breathtakingly beautiful waterfall, in front of which we needed a photo, and we looked at each other and knew, enough was enough.  You can only have "so many" photos of breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls.  After awhile, it's just overwhelming.) 

Since I met Fin, I've taken LOTS of photos of airplanes.  So, you would think I have enough and that actually would be true. I do have enough. Fin and I walked away from the airport 70 photos later.

What A Mess

 I managed to go on a lunchtime walk one day last week in downtown Pascagoula.  I happened across an open door. 

Alright, it wasn't so much open as falling in.  The condition of the things on the other side shouldn't make that much of shock.  Yes, that is sunlight shining through the "walls" and roof.

The chair caught my eye.  I rescued one in a similar state a few years ago.  I actually paid some money for my chair.  The woman selling it referred to it as a "Chippy Garden Chair".

"Chippy Garden Chair" actually meant that it had been relegated to someones yard at some point and the old enamel-ish paint might as well have been applied with super glue and dry-rot had claimed the arch on the rockers making for a dissatisfying lack of motion for those enticed to sit down and "rock".

Had I known what I was getting into when I plumped down my cash on the barrel-head I would have run screaming from that little junk - errr... "antique" shop.

Thankfully, that story has a happy ending.  Many hours and sand paper strips later my little chair was rehabbed.  I painted, cut new rockers, sewed cushions, figured out how to replace the broken seat with webbing and here you go... "Chippy" reborn.

I guess, sometime things aren't as bad as they seem you just have to put some work into them.

Back In The Saddle Again...

Necking

The Finman and I hit the road today via bicycle for a 10-ish mile peddle through the neighborhood.  Here's a glimpse of a few of the neighbors. 

Ready for a Closeup?

At The Feeder - Pine Warbler

One of the greatest joys of the weekend is the luxury to watch the activity at the bird feeders.

Merry Christmas Friends

Merry Christmas all.  Fin and I are having a quiet Christmas here in the deep south.  This evening, we'll have family over for a nosh.

Obviously, I like this shade of blue as I designed the card and I now notice that it is blending into the background of my blog.  I might also mention that I'm currently sitting similarly colored room.

I should say to the very few folks that received a printed card like this, you may notice that when they were printed the "rs" of "yours" was cut off.  Something, I never noticed but someone else did AFTER they were in the mail.  I'm choosing to be philosophical about it.  I'm still just impressed with myself that I was able to coordinate envelopes, stamps, addresses and notes.  This is generally a herculean feat.