bodacious adj. (Southern) Outright; unmistakable
banter v.t. To address with light, playful, good-natured remarks
Welcome to my blog! I pray the images and ideas will be pleasing to God, and a blessing to you.
In joy,
king
bye-bye bluebird babies
Please note: this post not intended for the tender-hearted.
In the year of our Lord 2015, as spring progressed, i increasingly believed this might be the first in many years there would be no new batches of bluebirds in my tenant housing. For weeks i had seen prospective couples checking out the listings in my yard, but only about three weeks ago did i realize i had some takers.
The happy couple was in a home that had never been occupied. I had assumed it never would be, as the local tree rats took the liberty of remodeling the front door soon after it was built, quite a few seasons back.
But here they were, shuttling food in…and waste out. I eventually was able to see five little beaks, courtesy the squirrelly architecture. This added to my amazement, as three is the most i’ve ever observed in a brood.
Photography began as a serious pursuit in my mid-teens, coinciding with my stint as a disc jockey. In both applications, one learns that timing matters. To photograph the birds as they mature and leave their box would require patience of course, but at an even more obvious level, i would need to be around at the right time…something over which i don’t always have control.
But as the days marched on, it seemed as if the timing might work favorably for getting good imagery. By Memorial Day, when i would be afforded a block of time to watch and wait, the babies were big, and flapping their wings inside the box. The camera was on the porch, the gopro a couple of feet from the box, and i thought the exodus might happen at any moment. Instead, rain happened, and following that, the night. So on Tuesday i was up early in hopes of not missing the event. The morning was spent getting stills and gopro footage and then as noon approached, so did the rain, again.
I saw the shower as opportunity to eat lunch, as there wouldn’t likely be any effort to get the kids out during the downpour. When i came back out, the yard was in an uproar. Mr. & Mrs. Bluebird were raising a racket (which i took to mean they were coaxing their kids to come out). But in addition to the parents, there was a bevy of birds, boisterous as could be: nuthatches, robins, warblers and cardinals. So my second thought was that the bluebird parents were uptight because they wanted their cousins out of the picture (and of my pictures : )
But it took a few moments for me to realize there was something different about the bluebird box…as the garbage truck was coming by, i saw the reason for the ruckus from the residents:
A loop of snake torso bulged out of the formerly safe sanctuary, and after overcoming my shock and dismay, (the anger was not overcome), i got on the stick:
My neighbor, Bob Chatfield, came over and assisted me as we hauled the gopro around to try and get a shot or two of the chicks that made it out alive. In addition to a furious pair of adult bluebirds, most every other bird within a one block radius of my house was close at hand, gawking at the crime scene, and sharing in a sort of wake for the deceased chicks.
For those whose voyeuristic needs must be satisfied, here lies the villain with the two known victims (one internal, one external)
Please don’t take my disdain for what happened as an invitation to lecture me about the roll of reptiles in the ecosystem, or ‘the circle of life.’ I work for a hospice, after all. Some people like coffee, others hate certain sports teams. I believe it within my prerogative to detest snakes and wish they didn’t exist.
The evening in my neighborhood—after yet another rain, provided cool, moist air, a brilliant orange-pink glow in the gray clouds at sunset, and very pronounced, reverberant sounds of adult blue birds, calling to their young. My reading from this morning included the first two chapters from 1st Samuel, which contains poignant reminders of God’s sovereignty. For those who choose to ponder, there are apparent metaphors here for the taking. Effects of sin touch all creation. There will still be bluebirds…and some will still be eaten by snakes, until He determines otherwise.
thankful He is in charge,
king
Spring blooms? April May!
Aside from autumn, spring is my favorite season for weather...and the blooms are a bonus. Since i'm in need of a new blog post, the fine flowers favor me with convenient subject matter.
Not that any of these blooms bring the word "weed" to mind, but the tiny blossoms some of these sport remind me of an Allen Levi song. Whatever season in which you find yourself, i wish you joyful growth and a bloomin' good time : )
fog two (too)
"It was a dark and stormy night..." No, in truth it was a nice night. One of those near the equinox that serve as a buffer between nights requiring heat and those that beg for air conditioning. There was low-lying fog with scattered clouds when i awoke and ventured forth.
My aim was to grab an image of the space station as it traversed the sky over Thomaston. My first attempt a few nights before was...not good.
This attempt went better, and God gave me some wonderful atmospheric entertainment all the way past sunrise.
The sun made an appearance, but much of the morning was spent peeking out from behind cover.
Here is the place where--had i anything profound or otherwise useful to say about becoming a 60 year old, i would say it. But instead, we'll try this:
There are little things, like fog
There are big things, such as family and friends
And then there is The Big Thing: Life in and through The Lord Jesus.
It is often said--including by me, but i know no more honest thing to say, "I am blessed...it is all His grace!"
Psalm 139 (in thankful joy : )
king
fog blog
Used to be, having foggy fotos meant one’s darkroom…wasn’t.
But now that spare time and money…isn’t, i avoid the dark side of photography: (developing and printing).
And so, when God gives fog for free, the proper “thank You!” is to put the leash on the camera and venture forth for a walk.
in joy,
king
autumn leaves
Today, “cyber-Monday,” i have refrained from buying anything online. Instead of spending money i can’t spare to buy stuff i don’t need, i’m taking that most precious of commodities, [time], to rake my cyber-space so as to provide you with a collection of leaves for November…(now that it no longer is : )
I believe it more than coincidence the changing of color in leaves works as a good (if imperfect) metaphor. The green is the leaves’ “natural” state. When the sap--it’s life blood, diminishes, and the leaf in essence “dies” to being itself, then some of the more brilliant colors its Maker provided become more visible. The leaf, at least in many cases, becomes more lovely…
in joy,
king
sunrise service
Saturday i was on my way to shoot balloons at The Rock Ranch, and en route, saw a magnificent vista to the right. The dawn’s early light was greeting a low, but dense layer of fog over a clearing. As my custom, i was running late, so alas...had no time to stop and snap.
I made it to my beloved place of business in time to savor a sunrise, but by then, the mist was mostly a mere memory. Alas (again).
And then…the big, beautiful balloons began! (Please pardon if this is politically incorrect, but they were full of hot air : )
As fun as a mass of hot gas can be, i also pondered the fine fog from the first of the day, and thought to my self, “Self, you ought to go back tomorrow morning and see what you can see.”
Tomorrow arrived the very next day (predictably enough), and unpredictably, no morning mist as had so enamored me the previous dawn. Alas (yet again).
Instead, there was a monumental sky with a crescent moon, and clouds extending forever. The 24-105mm was on the camera, and so i cranked it as wide as it would go, and that was of course not wide enough to take in the view. [see image above] Knowing i didn’t have time to fool with changing lenses, i changed to the 16-35mm in hopes i was wrong (which is usually a safe bet : ) [see image below]
Naturally, the 16mm was not wide enough to take in all the fun, so i took time to change to the 14mm in hopes the sky would continue to behave politely in providing pretty, pleasing pictures. [see below]
Not even the 14mm could grasp the entire scene. So the only reasonable conclusion is this is a clear indication i need to find $3,000 to get my name in the pot for the 11-24mm lens Canon is rumored to be bringing out soon : )
While congratulating myself on having such impressive skill with reason and logic, i glanced in the opposite direction and sensed the direction to snap a few fotos in that direction. (On rare occasion, i’ve been known to take direction : )
Those thing-a-ma-hickies along the glide path seem to make pretty good models: they work cheap, stay where they’re told and don’t complain when it’s cold.
And so now for the epilogue…
(You think i’d leave this episode hanging along a glide path with no mist? : )
The following morning, (monday staff meeting not-withstanding : ) i returned to the scene to find my Weatherman playing ‘misty’ for me as He had two days prior. My head was in the clouds! (Or more truthfully, was maybe a foot or two above ; )
in joy,
king
finally finding fun fotos for fall
…or to put it more truthfully, i once again have waited to the last moment to do a blog post for the month. With that in mind (and nothing useful to say), i offer these images shot around my house:
(Snacking increases as the weather cools off : )
I am not the only one that enjoys bird watching
Before heading south, this little hummer wanted another drink...(i just don't think its tongue is going to reach that far : )
And no set of autumn images from my house would be complete without squirrely stuff--such as getting in shape for winter with chin-ups
...or making a last-minute dash for another snack while commercials are on
...or trying to see just how much one can retrieve before the commercials are over
Regardless how squirrely things are around here in the fall, there's no place like home : )
