In Praise of Haze

Took a late evening mountain bike ride at Alligator Lake through the haze. The smoke coming from the Pinhook Fire in the Osceola. Rode only three miles since the park was closing at 7PM. The spill from this past Tuesday did not bother me. Stopped by the check on the young eagles. They are sitting tall upon their nest, no doubt soon to fly off. Did not see the parents. The purple flags in the basin of the lake were awesome. Just a touch of early morning light on them would be brilliant. Too bad the park is closed tomorrow or I would return.

Daddy's Suit

With Nathaniel over yesterday evening, Melanie and I took the opportunity to quickly dress Nathaniel up in Landon's Easter outfit. Fortunately it fit but getting Nathaniel to sit still and pose quite another matter. We settled for about three out of about sixty that were acceptable. On hindsight, I should have ironed my backdrop as it was all wrinkled.

Zero Out Ten PM

 

On the ride into town, the moon was low and orange. With the Pinhook Swamp to our North in the Osceola on fire, with ashes falling all afternoon from the sky, it was an awesome full moon. I arrived home after taking Nathaniel home, to the winds having cleared out the smoke. The moon was a brilliant white. I set up the tripod in the driveway, attached the D5000 with 180 2.8 manual and TC-201 extender and stopped down to f8 at 125. I experimented with a speed up to 250 at 2.8. The focus for my poor eyes, already smarting from allergies, was difficult and constant. I upped the focus factor. A distant bird flew up into the brilliance. I missed it. Then the clouds rolled in. It was while fiddling with the focus and exposure I saw this jet streak past. I had just enough time to get the plane before it went off the moon. I knew I had captured it. Turns out, it was caught in the best spot, the brilliant area of the moon. I was stoked!

Ken Rockwell's Adorama Photo Contest Winner

In looking over the nearly 1,000 entries in this contest, this photograph, while strong in bold,graphic colors.   Rockwell loves bold, super saturated colors and this one drew him. It would have been nice had the contest given a final rank for all to see. It was one of those contests where all Rockwell had to do was vote on the top twenty-five photographs with the most viewer votes.While Suzanne Carson and I made an all out effort to get votes, all the while, for the most part, no one voted but a few of our closer friends. And I am still not sure if my photograph was eliminated when the reset took place.

BROW WOW!

GR8NESS! UK defeats Kansas for their 8th National Basketball Title. I have been a fan of Kentucky basketball from about the 5th grade when we lived in Kentucky. We lived just below Lexington at Wilmore in the heart of the Big Blue Nation.

Roger and Rosie

Sunday after church Melanie, Meme Clara and I rode the sixty mile journey over to Fanning Springs to get the two remaining chickens Susan said we could come and get. When we arrived, we thought it would be an easy catch, but they soon fled to the woods. Fortunately Stacey arrived and he knew how to catch them. He went to his dog pen and with the feeding of the hounds, the chickens came running to eat the feed.
He picked them up and put them in the cat crate for us. They rode the entire way back not making a sound. On arriving, we put them in the pen prepared. We came out later toward dark to find them loose in the yard. They had squeezed out of the top of the hog wire. I was able to catch them and place them in a rabbit hutch for the night. Monday morning I went out and placed wire over the top of the pen and placed them again in the 10 by 10 enclosure. So far so good. This morning we had two eggs. I went down to Bailey's Farm Supply and got a fifty pound bag of laying mash. So we are now in the chicken and egg business. Some point I shall let them free range in the yard.

Reality Check

It came upon the Gar Pond narrow trail
The realization of a slowing down
It came quite painful as I fell
Lying there breathless on the ground.

It was a realization unspoken
You knew the thoughts were there
Hanging onto the rear so broken
The third cog making not a pair.

Talks of coming rides not including me
The old one once so fast
Falling came so unexpectedly
Speed I thought would always last.

The Gar Pond white route I ride
Alone now in a slow spin
Some days on downhills I fly
Mostly I just miss my friends.

I cannot see the forest!

 

Learning Limits

Rode today with Ben and Rick. Should have known better. It was hot and when they said, lets ride across the road, I should have opted out. So off we flew, me following. My first fall came not too far into the ride. Nothing serious. Right back up and trying to keep up. The longer we rode the narrow switchbacks, root infested trails, steep drops with low cog climbs up, the wearier I grew. All I wanted to do by this point was cruise and enjoy the day, not push. So I pulled out the camera and was going to get a few shots. At that moment a palmetto root caught my front wheel and over I went, sprawling forward with the handlebar catching the full brunt of the fall in my chest, knocking my breath out. All I could do was sit for awhile and wince. I got up to ride again, but then became dizzy, having gone into the early stages of heat exhaustion. Rick and Ben were gracious to slow the pace to a crawl while I tried to recover. I lamented the condition I had put them in, with too far to travel before making it back. Fortunately, I did recover enough to make it back. This evening I am sitting on the couch with a grand pain. We are out of medical insurance until I start my job or Melanie starts hers, otherwise, I probably would be down at the ER getting an X-ray.
I must learn that when I ride, it is best to ride alone. I am not a good speed rider. I do not even like speed riding through a beautiful forest. It is so against my bent. But for my friends, I will bend branches I otherwise would not.

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