wings up

We are off once again to sunny Florida.

Hopefully I will post more often once I'm there. Between the holidays and getting all my camera gear cleaned and checked I lost so many shooting days. I can't wait to throw that pack over my back and head to where the birds and ocean meet.

our gifts

Seize the moment as they are so fleeting. 

Mockingbird took flight with his seed in a flurry of feathers and a lift to the skies.

He will settle in a quiet spot amongst the trees to savor his small meal. 

And I thank him for the gifts he gives me as I live in his world.

Merry Christmas everyone.

a warm memory

How can someone so small hold such a huge space in our hearts. 

If Tully had met this energetic playful lab she would have been in awe over her bravery. 

But Tully was home in bed at the time so she never knew.

a word from Tully

Mom has been way too busy so I'm taking over the blog. 

She has forgotten how to put her nose to every little shell and just sit and look out over the bay. 

She has forgotten how to smell the good stuff. 

So I'm giving you my view of the world when I'm hanging out by the water's edge.

The slippery squishy fishy smells..

I'll stay in touch with the important stuff till mom can once again wander along with me in the cold wet earth that I know she's missing.... woof

another good morning

 I've let go of any plan or expectation because I never know what the morning will bring.

 I can depend on my coffee being hot and my feet being wet but nothing beyond that.

I will admit that when I see the color break out from the darkness my blood races. 

I know it won't last long and I feel compelled to capture it.

But on these mornings when the sky is filled with soft pastel clouds I feel quieter and more patient. I breathe more deeply and let it wash all over my new day.

my playmates

This black lab played in the surf looking for his throw toy for over an hour.

And these brothers shared a fishing rod and caught fish in the sea.

I've got the blues

I guess the blues have gotten to me.

 I'm talking ocean blues, sky blues, early morning blues.

  When I first arrive the skies are inky black then the midnight blues 

slowly release to a liquid aqua blue. 

These two images were taken this morning thirty minutes apart. 

The sun was never visible but I always knew it was there...

still caught by the light

Quiet, cold waters filled with fleeting colors.

And then the sky fell into it...

caught by the light

I'm still not quite ready to leave my Scotland images. The light was so spectacular and I continue to get drawn into my Scotland folders.

I am also grateful to my LR guru who helped me recover 2 months worth of lost photographs and work which included all 900 of my Scotland and Smithers Pond reflection work. It was a very stressful time for me as many of these images were very close to my heart. However all is resolved and I'm breathing freely once again. 

Yes, I have been up early to shoot the sunrise at the beach but can't seem to work on anything other than these warm autumn colors. When I return up north in a couple of weeks the palette will be so different. It really is all about the light...

wandering

I had the most wonderful afternoon shooting the reflections at Smithers Pond.

The light was late afternoon with the sun low and warm in the sky. 

This was taken at the edge of the pond.

The colors were beautiful.

I couldn't find my way through the thicket to get to these sunlit leaves hanging over the water, so I plowed through the prickers as far as I could go and shot through the brush. 

I love the dreaminess of it all. 

It was a perfect afternoon.

The Scottish sun

There is something so magical about the Scottish light, especially in the autumn months. I traveled down this path and wandered along the narrow trails bordering the ponds.

Wouldn't you love to spend the day under this tree reading 

The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben?

A pleasant pheasant walk...

Look who I saw wandering in the grasses,

after an exhausting day of staying safe.

Now strolling leisurely in the fleeting Scotland sun.

Scotland time

I'm off to Scotland tomorrow.

I plan on spending time on the ground looking out into the grasses to see what I can see.

Maybe I'll find someone looking back at me.

Or maybe I'll get lost in the colors and forget where I am

And take a little nap while the rest of the world dissolves around me.

a beach gathering

Back in the day when the sun used to shine....

a fly by

Had my attention on the songbirds when this great blue heron flew by.

I was so happy that I was able to capture any of his flight. Especially when I was manually focused on the tiny songbirds right in front of me. 

I was entertained by my favorite mockingbird singing his little heart out while all this activity was going on. 

a light show

What do you do when you're motivated to shoot but the light is contrasty and horrid? 

Go find fabulous leaves that are backlit by the sun!

It's hard to believe so many beautiful colors are hidden from us until we view it down the barrel of our lens. The world just opens up for me when my camera is in my hands. 

along the shore

I think that Great Blue Herons are spectacular. 

This one lives in Florida. Look at the enormous wing span! 

kayak time

The  tide was high, the bay was calm

 and the late afternoon light beckoned me. The birds were everywhere along the shoreline.

Great egrets, blue herons, snowy egrets and songbirds. I grabbed my camera and very quietly found my way to the kayak, in hopes of going sight unseen. The entire flock took to wing and left me sitting in the water quite alone. They just left, altogether, gone, zippo.

 It seems I have lost my touch. 

But this lone Great Egret took pity on me and remained behind. 

He preened and watched me as I watched him.

We enjoyed the next hour just being in each other's company. 

Until I discovered a Great Blue Heron in the canopy of a tree and I slowly paddled over to have a look see....

a surfer

I have been wandering through my Florida images and found this guy having the time of his life.

He was awesome!

 When I zoom in on the photographs I can see the bubbly details in the breaking waves. What a great morning to watch him while I sipped my morning coffee, standing safe and dry behind my tripod.

got it!

Now you see the fly

Now you don't see the fly.. Yum

wilson's plover

Rain puddle in a parking lot

is a great place

to take a bath.

Scotland

It's a rainy day and I'm in the midst of a slow hazy thought process as I sink into my images. 

I want to lie down in that deep grass and smell the world.

Tully has a word

Just wanted to stop by and say woof.

Mom has been putting every other creature on her post so I thought I'd just join the crowd.

When I'm done with this I'm going to roll over and have a belly rub.

I see you

I wish this Bard owl was here now in our trees, but he's not.

 In fact he was in a tree in the Everglades back in 2015.

I've been working on old photographs. 

I"m looking into the eyes that have been looking back at me.

mother thoughts

I'm the mother of chicks, and I'm exhausted.

I can barely keep track of all of them. I think there are ten. Lord help me.

Every time I turn around I'm either stepping on them or they're climbing on me.

These two are planing an escape. 

I wonder if they'll take me with them...