These things I miss

These things I miss
The early morning mist
Turkeys strung along the Gum Swamp
Keys to hidden places
Buffalo and ostrich grazing
the long forest lane
to a cell phone tower
reading the monthly use of power
making it in by two
the day through
and paid for eight
it was great
These things I miss
 waking old mister Foote
giving him a granola bar
riding Ralph to the soup kitchen
never a ride hitching
content in the long walk
like me
in rain,cold and heat caught
running from the coming canine
jumping fences just in time
never reporting the near miss
bogging down behind hotels
brunt of jokes to tell
These things I miss
sunrises upon the route
camera always out
miles and miles all alone
home after home
meter after meter
Slim and trim
These things I miss. 

Rock of Gators

Rock of Gators
Cleft upon Suwannee
Let me hide
My face from thee.

Rock of Gators
Cleft upon Suwannee
I shall slide
And come for thee.

Rock of Gators
Cleft upon Suwannee
You shall abide
Forever with me.

 

 

vertical orientation

 

Balance beam

In the last mile of the three mile walk, stopped at the cypress stand in Alligator Lake.  I had shot the same scene several times, with the Nikon and the Canon. Some shots were under exposed by two stops with fill flash, some without flash. This shot appealed in that the fill flash and ambient light were balanced.

Air Men

It was the last day of 2013. It was nearing the park closing time of 5:30. It was a three mile loop. The  retired air man came. He had passed many times before in 2013. This was his last 2013 run  upon the dike. I held the D7000 to my waist. I took one wide angle photograph. I did not want him to know. When people are near, like the wildlife, I pause, let them pass. Wary, wait, then resume my walk. Earlier Brian had passed me. He worked in the cubical at Florida Power. I passed him every day in 2012. It was odd to pass him out of context.
These walks are not so much about taking photographs. They are walks attempting to right a soul. A wayward soul that reeks of many sins. The photographs are only fringe diversions. An excuse.
As the air man passed, my thoughts immediately went out to my air man son in Misawa Air Base, Japan.
He like me, no doubt needs much space to walk the three mile dike. Three years he will be in Japan. Content I suppose, like me, to walk in total silence, choosing to pause and let family pass.
And yet, in the silence, there is an uneasy feeling. A feeling that something is not right.
Solitude is fine for a season. But not for a life. Not for a family.
Not for a Father,Son and Grandson as Diane said.
Pray.
My word for 2014.
Pray the silent son returns.

GO!

Sunset over Alligator

Taken last Saturday from the gay dike at Alligator Park. Testing the new D7000. Working on the bracket mode. Liking the commander mode for wireless flash, except do not care for the pop up flash being the trigger, as it causes red eye. Tried a diffuser over the pop up but it was too weak to fire the SB600. Had I the money and Ron was still my friend, I would purchase his SB600's.
At Ellijay, in the freezing weather, everything worked fine. I only used the 18-200 lens. Again, with money, would purchase the 70-300 and an 11-24 wide.
Still awaiting the bill to see what monthly minimum payments will be. Need a job badly. Been out of work since early May. Not good.
Two days left in one of the worst years to date. March was the last time I saw or communicated with Nathaniel, Landon or Amber. Then in May the one year job at Florida Power came to an end.
Those are two prayers for 14. Communication with Nathaniel and a job.

Carter Came

Carter Piatt came on Friday from Pratville, Alabama with his mother Devan to spend the night in Ellijay with us in the cabin of Wes and Darlene Smith of Williston that Gerald, my father in law rented for the family for the week of Christmas. Devan is the daughter of Kim and Scott Smith, Melanies next youner sister to her. With his high pitched, sweet voice that sounded just like the voice I remember Nathaniel last having, my own grandson, I was for the time he was there, on the edge of tears.
They both will turn three this January.
We watched a movie last evening, The Grey with Liam Neeson. Toward the end, as he is the last man alive, he looks up toward heaven from the steam he has just emerged from and cries out to God. The silence continues.
I told Melanie. That is me. I cannot tell you how many times I have sat outside under the moon and cried out just like that for the relationship with Nathaniel to be restored.
And today, silence.

Without Ellijay

In preparing for the group photograph on the porch of Wes and Darlene Smith in Ellijay, Georgia this past Saturday morning, in the cold rain I was ready:
Ready to get it over with.
Ready to get away from the talk of things people with things talk of:
retirement benefits
second houses in hills
new auto's
jobs
houses
places
things
more things
Sat mostly in a stupid silence
spoke if spoken to
Joked about my cricket silence
I was ready to return to a flat land
while the talk and internet surf was continual searching for a place
"up here"
I once thought too, that would be nice
but then the reality of without all sank in
and it would simply at this point
 be nice to enjoy it for a season
at the expense of other kind souls
with things and the ability to talk of things
while I snapped the photograph
with a camera thing
that cost seven hundred
 with not a dime to pay for it
 there were still crow lines
and double chins
and there were blinks
and there were some out of focus
I cannot even get that correct
Yet they do say he can see
what others cannot see
And I say, next time I see
I shall pose you next to a spider web
for all to see.
I think I need to take another long,long walk
along the Suwannee
and ponder a house upon stilts there
obscuring the view
but shouting quite loudly
come and see
what things I can talk of
and see.

Southern Flyway

Been waiting patiently for the Sand Hill Cranes to return. Yesterday two flocks passed overhead on their way South, toward Paynes Prairie and further down. Taken with the D7000 with the 18-200 on P mode. It was nearing the 5:30 closing time of the Park as I walked briskly back from the dike.