A walk to Shoals

 

She waited

The damselfly was there at the footbridge waiting for my return, showing me the brilliant cardinal flower in bloom. I quickly put the camera in her face and almost got her in focus.

Impaled Croc

I thought of the Wards today when I came upon this Croc on the trail with the stick through it. The Wards recently drowned in the Suwannee down stream in Lafayette County. They had just arrived at their second home on the river, the keys were still in the vehicle, the house locked, cell phone in seat. They saw scuff marks on the dock, found them two days later. 68 and 60 years of age.
The Suwannee does not mess around.

Suwannee in a bottle

I am thinking that I should have taken this trapped Suwannee River water and released it.

Santa Wasp

Do not know what he was up to, flying through webs perhaps.

Fit for a bride

 

In the Horsemint

Looking for creatures in the horsemint, I spotted this anole and a strange wasp with white antennae.

From the far side

Crossing over, climbing up the steep bank, I did look back for one last shot of the falls.

Above the Roaring

On the return trip, I gingerly stepped across the upper falls. Earlier I had crossed below the sandbar downstream, sinking in sand. Here, I stepped in a hole and almost got my foot stuck.

The aftermath

Deposited upon the shore downstream, many logs and sticks from the recent high water levels.

Into the light of Suwannee

The light came from behind the cloud cover and lit the big shoals today.

Light unto these Shoals

The corners cropped due to the stacking of filters causing the barrel affect.

Cypress Abstraction

The foam swirls from the big shoals at the mouth of Roaring Creek on the Suwannee.

After Carlton

Saw a grand photograph by Carlton Ward of a Tupelo on the Suwannee with the red tannic in the foreground. I had his photo in mind when I took this.

Roaring Creek Falls

Took an early afternoon visit to the Roaring Creek Falls and Big Shoals today. The water levels have receeded enough where I was able to hop the creek. The sand and mud deposited in the creek bottom from the recent high water levels was thick and soft in areas.
I did not bring a tripod, which I later wished I had. At the Big Shoals I stacked filters only to get the circle affect in the corners, requiring cropping, which I do not like to do.
I am currently going through one of the many slumps I have where nothing I produce is satisfying. I had stopped posting to Facebook until I feel my level of my own like has returned.
I do not get enough likes anyhow to bother, at least I need to like to myself.

Break of Dawn

Up way before daylight, early morning late night talk radio too much to listen to, too depressing. Melanie was already up trying to log onto her work computer. I saw there was fog out so decided it would be a good morning to try out Alligator Lake in the kayak. By the time I made the coffee and loaded the kayak, most of the nice fog had lifted. I got to the ramp around seven-thirty by the High School and headed toward the cypress stand.
Most of the birds had left the trees. I paddled quietly into the cypress hammock and sat still a long while, watching the Limpkin catching apple snails, cracking them open with their long sharp beaks and eating them.
Saw two deer sneaking in the woods. The sun played around and did not fully make it through the clouds.
The time or two it did, it lit up the dark hammock nicely.
Paddled around to the other side of the dike, stopping frequently. Much nicer kayaking by myself. No agenda, no getting a workout. Wind picked up and I paddled over to the white lotus patch. An effort to keep the camera and kayak positioned. Tried several angles. Paddled back to the dock, headed home.
I think the shots were nice, but I am lately comparing myself to others so I am not too pleased.
Took the hot seat out of the bottom of the kayak I had ordered and the foam back. My alterations just made the boat uncomfortable.

Snake in the moss

Just sitting here on this Wednesday in September, going into my 4th month of my unemployment, getting quite discouraged since even the Unemployment has stopped as I missed the claim weeks date. I will have to call and start it up again. A pain as they expect at least three job applications weekly and frankly, there are not three jobs out there weekly. Melanie said you are just going to have to settle for something you don't like.
I think back to the time at JCPenney, that day in April on a Friday when I was called into Calise office, Lana and Carolyn I think were there, witnesses. Calise told me today was my last day, he was letting me go, they would accompany me out the door after I gathered my things.
I had known that day was coming as he and the District Manager had ridden me relentlessly, writing me up for every little mis-step, building a file on me.
It was a relief and at the same time a time of panic. I had made it up to 50K a year and that was now gone. 600K lost since then. Retirement spent. Gone.
Though I worked with Sears around six of those years and one year with FPL, I have never recovered.
Retail left a really bitter taste.
I am thanking the Lord that Melanie at least is working from home and we can make it for now on her income alone. 
Yesterday I opened a fortune cookie and it said "New and rewarding opportunities will soon develop for you."
I laughed, sort of as Sara did when the angel announced she would have a child in her old age.
In my golden aging years of 58, what opportunities exist out there in the Obama crazed society?
So the reason for the photograph.
If ever you are walking down a primrose path where all seems good and everything is hunky dory, beware of the snake(Calise)lurking in the grass, keeping tabs on you, waiting for his moment to strike.

The Great Blue chew

Had a good time watching this Great Blue Heron attempting to down this water snake. He finally managed to get him down head first.

Seven Tin Shed

At the beginning of the Woodpecker Route out of White Springs on the right is this shed under the towering Live Oak. I took this from the vehicle as I was travelling back from the trip up to Prospect Primitive a few weeks ago.

false frost

 

Holy Leaping Limpkins Batman!

 

Elephant Stampede!

 

Once a Photographer

In the early 80's I worked on and off several years for the Lake City Reporter as the Staff Photographer. My job came to an end when the Lovely Shop fire occurred and Harvey Campbell and I were the first on the scene. We took the vast majority of the photographs but it was decided in a late night editorial meeting that the paper would print  Photographs by Staff only. Harvey went in after the paper was on the press for printing and typed bylines under each photograph. The next morning when the paper came out, it was I who took the fall, not Harvey, since he was the sports editor. Who knows, he probably threw me under the bus, but I was let go.
This was taken in 1982 at the Raines game, the only regular season loss the Columbia Tigers suffered that year on their way to Regional runner-up, losing to eventual state champions Pensacola Woodham.
Here Scott Adams, who recently died, was photographed near the end of the loss at Raines November 5th, 27 to 16.
I was able to print this with my slide duplicator by copying the negative then reversing it.
If I can find a decent film holder for the duplicator, I am looking forward to processing many negatives that have never been printed.

Who goes there?

Spotted this long black snake on the side of the trail in the moss. Got him to stick his tongue out at me by waving one hand in front of him and shooting with the camera in the other.

Fritillary Arrival

While the adult Gulf Fritillary do not have much to do with the Passion Flower, their caterpillars certainly do, devouring them with a 'passion'.

Moon and Bird

Monday raining and up to my old anger. Anger when no one likes a post I make on Facebook, especially the link from Blogger. So I delete the posts. This was the moon setting Saturday morning. It was hazy and I waited over an hour, this bird being the closest critter to come near.
Wrote a poem titled April Fall on the other blog, the blog absolutely no one sees or if they do, I do not know. Really, really am quite annoyed with my routine of life.
What is it with this anger?
What does it really matter if no one cares to like or comment on anything? And then there are those when you are in their very presence, act as if you are not there. So it just doesn't occur on Facebook.
And then there are those who when you try and talk to them, it is as if you are talking to the wall behind them.
And then there are those when you talk to them, they look at you in the quizzical manner as if you are speaking Mandarin. Exasperated, I just cut the conversation short.
Went to the Columbia game Friday night by myself. A nice lady gave me her daughters ticket. So I sat in the reserved section over the fifty yard line. I felt out of place like I was not welcome. The society elite were mostly surrounding me. For the most part they looked dour and smug.
By half time I moved down to the general admission section and felt better among friends. In my day, when we went to high school games, there was no reserved section like this. All classes,colors and all sat together. If these people want to be big shot boosters they should be given some parking privileges but not seating privileges. They sit there silent and dour, not cheering and need give these premium seats to those who do.