Photographing terns on a nude beach requires careful cropping.
; )
So my dilemma was this: resist the opportunity to photograph the royal terns, laughing gulls, willets and black-bellied plovers loafing together in the sunshine at Playalinda Beach on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore or bare (tee hee!) with the discomfort of using a camera amid a bunch of naked people.
I chose the assumption that those folks wouldn’t mind the long-as-my-arm telephoto lens so long as I didn’t ever point it directly at them. I never figured on them to walk purposefully, almost, and repeatedly through my frame. Or to approach me, full-frontal(!), to talk camera gear.
What was I thinking!!!
Never again, never again.
Lesson learned.
*parts of this photo have been excessively blurred in deference to the comfort of readers.
So Beth in NYC came for a visit this past weekend. She’d wanted a break from “the big city” and, so, came to Atlanta.
; )
This is closer to “city-living” than I’ve ever known, so her idea made me chuckle, just a little. I’d last about five minutes living in Manhattan. Anyway, I was happy to show her a couple favorite pieces of home…
We visited Arabia Mountain and checked in with the Elf Orpine… still not blooming! I haven’t decided what those little white flowers are, yet. Maybe Sandwort?
We checked in with the sunset… gorgeous!
We checked in with each other… we’re all doing okay!
The Anhinga, a silent bird who lives mainly in the silent places of the wildnerness…
A weekend visit in late January to St. Marks and Wakulla Springs brought close looks at some of Florida’s most magical and strange birds. Most everything one sees in Florida feels exotic. It’s the setting, for sure… everything mist-laden and draped with Spanish moss…
Focus on the dagger-like bill, used to impale fish. Yikes!
But there’s something, also, about the birds themselves that works on me. Many are new to me… “lifers” as birders would say. They’re also confiding for some reason… “tame” almost. The photographer in me enjoys this chance to get close without too much disturbance to the bird. Being able to ponder the ribbing on the outer tail feathers of an Anhinga, for example, or that acutely-pointed bill…
An apple snail specialist…
The boat ride at Wakulla Springs was a treat… close-up views of manatees and my first-ever January Osprey. The Limpkin (above) was the best find, though… a cool looking bird that I’d heard described as a very large Rail with the habits of an Ibis. I mistook a juvenile White Ibis for a Limpkin the last time I was in Florida… so I need to get to know both species better.
There’s a visit to South Florida planned for late next month, which will require learning a couple new wading birds… I can’t wait!
Downtown Atlanta skyline from the Jackson St. overpass
Beth G. is coming for a visit later this month! And she wants to shoot the skyline, so I tried out a couple places for the best view. This spot downtown is nice, but standing on the overpass was a little scary and vertigo-inducing. Midtown has the prettiest buildings, but finding a spot to shoot from is a challenge.
Stone cairns that mark the trail up Arabia Mountain
I have piled stones on top of one another for years now stones of habit stones of comfort stones of refuge stones to settle my heart stones to mark the days of my journey…
It’s not uncommon to find stone cairns used as trail markers. These piles of stone help us find our way. They lead us somewhere and provide a tangible space to pause and recall. They offer a moment to get our bearings and seek direction. They hint for us to stop and listen for the whispering wind.
We may stand at a cairn and remember. We might dream or hope. Maybe we turn within to figure out the meaning behind this pile of stones. What does this place mean? What are its secrets? What are we meant to find here?
Something about baking, as opposed to cooking, makes it much less intimidating to me. And making cupcakes, well… they’re just plain fun!
While out and about yesterday (truthfully, I was lost at the time) I stumbled across a little bake shop that had tres leches (Spanish for three milk) cupcakes as their special of the day. I’d always wanted to try this Latin American specialty, so I forked over the $5.00 for two of them.
They were yummy enough (addictive, honestly) that I decided to try making them myself today. I followed the recipe I found here and… oh my goodness, these are so delicious! According to my taste tester, they’re even better than the ones I bought yesterday!
Tres leches is traditionally a cake, but it’s so super rich that I almost think it’s better suited to cupcake form… you know, just a couple bites. These aren’t your traditional cupcakes, either, because if they’re made right and drenched in milk, you’ll want a spoon for all the sweet goodness at the bottom.
: )
Just me rambling about birds, books, bunnies, or whatever!
