Afternoon with the Eagles

Around 4PM Jordon and I loaded the bikes and took a quick trip to Alligator Lake where the eagle family is nesting. Two chicks and two adult eagles. One of the adult eagles was at the nest when we arrived at the nest sight just off the trail in the tallest pine tree. She soon circled and lit on a nearby tree. Suddenly, in came the other adult with what looked to be a mole or large rat. We only got a glimpse and two quickly framed shots off. She or he tore up the rodent and fed it to the two chicks. She or he then lit on the branch below and hung around as well awhile. Jordon and I needed to get on and pick up Meme Clara, so we left.
I was able to capture around fifty decent shots. It will be interesting to see what happens when they fly, which will be soon.

A welcome visitor

 

Little hands explore

 

Remember Lake City Life

 

New moon and planets align

 

Magnolia Memory

 

Come my Amaryllis

 

Canna's Come

 

Canna Lily

 

Elusive One

 

 

Focus Found

The Cloudless Sulphur is the most elusive of the butterflies in the yard. This is the typical photograph I have of them. In this one, with the house in the background and the sulphur flying from the azalea, the out of focus approach is perhaps better. The minds eye actually need not have precise, sharp focus. The imagination is sharp and in focus, and easily creates a clear scene depicted. Not that initial sharpness is a bad thing. It is the preferred approach, and nothing pleases me more than to capture in vivid sharpness the butterflies and birds as they fly past. But then too, just as pleasing is the blurred and surreal dream-like scene.
As I said on the post in Facebook, Perfectly sharp perspective needs no human focus.

Go to the Ant

 

 

Eleven Tooth

by john clare

Will we ever ride again the long pine lined route up to Moniac?
Just to stop at the store for a drink with the eleven tooth gal?
Then turn around for a RC stop in Taylor on our journey back?
If this was what they called the burning of daylight,
Roger sure knew how.

Caught in a long tailwind of dream, we silently pedaled the miles,
The hand ahead faithfully pointing to the broken glass.
Seems the Sanderson gals had the prettiest smiles,
We never considered this burning of daylight wouldn't last.

In the spin of the laundromat on his phone he spoke.
It was mostly to friends I had never met,
But knew all their tears, how their lives were broke.
Then in the steady cadence their woes I'd forget.

Long climbs and upon the top I would stop,
While down in the valley struggled my friend.
But once upon the flats, I would be dropped,
Then all forgiven upon seeing her eleven tooth grin.

The gals moved on and now they never know,
Once in time a friend cared they labored hard.
Some day to the lone Moniac store I must go,
Tell the eleven tooth girl Roger sends his regard's.

 

The rains came

 

To the light! To the light!

The evening I had returned to Alligator Park in order to see if the two baby eagles and the mother were in a good position for a photograph. She soon fled the nest and the chicks hunkered down, so I sped down to the open semi-wet lake bed hoping to spot the turkey. No turkey. Standing in the field, a large dark cloud obscured the setting sun. It caused a broad band of light rays, that was most dramatic. It was in the field, that I saw the two thistles, with the myriad of stink bugs, wasps and bees clamoring over the top. I took the D5000 and attached the three-foot flash cord. I set the flash on low and held it in such a way so as to back light the thistle. I then waited for the creatures to fly. The combination was pleasing.

by fire light

 

Tree frog above English dogwood

 

grand signs left

 

the first armarllis to bloom

 

i cloud

 

Gardens of Morning

 

Reeeeeeee.......

 

Lease!!!

 

Pursuit of Joy