Aaayyy...

Some time back around May of 2009 I posted a picture of this guy. The more that I looked at the photos I took of him the more I wondered about his story. I mean, just look at him-he looks like he's been there and back. Just an adventure waiting to happen. I thought that he really seemed to fit in a different generation so I figured that I could enhance that image a little and maybe take him back to another place and time. Somewhere that he seemed to be a little more comfortable in.
But really, I don't know him at all except for a couple of minutes of conversation and a few quick shots (camera shots that is). I hope that I'm not doing him any injustices when I say that at the first moment I saw him I thought that he could easily have the original Fonzarelli - or at least taught him the ways of cool!

Still Jammin'...

When I was just a kid (and I mean a kid) I used to lug my older brother's bass guitar, or whatever piece of equipment he felt that he could trust me not to drag, to band practice with him a few blocks from our house- that is, before he had a car. I guess he was around 14 or 15 when he started playing music. You know G-L-O-R-I-A - Gloria,
The Midnight Hour, Magic Carpet Ride all that. Yeah, he's that old. But I know you can guess that I'm not that far behind him or I wouldn't be remembering those songs. As I got older I did a little sound and lighting work and eventually got the bug myself and started playing in bands. There is absolutely nothing like it! I'm not sure that I could explain even if I wanted to because, like they say- if you don't know you wouldn't understand.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances in my life my path strayed from the rock star destiny I was so sure that was to come and I've not made it back-yet. Maybe someday- maybe not. I can't say for now but I do love my music and I don't go a day without grooving on something that just seems to fit the day (or the minute!). Music -it's in my blood. Always has been and always will be...
By the way, that's my brother David in the middle with the glasses-still jammin' after all these years.

The Obedient Plant

Sounds weird doesn't it? That's actually what it's called though - that or False Dragonhead. (I personally like that one better) Physostegia virginiana is plentiful in these parts as well as two-thirds of the rest of the United States. I found this one while hiking in the Sac River Woods. It was the lone one of it's kind in the immediate vicinity thereby creating a striking contrast to the patch of yellow from all of the black eyed susans in the area.
The plant is called the obedient plant for the fact that each flower is on a swivel of sorts and can be bent right or left and continue to grow in it's new position. This makes it especially popular in floral arrangements.
Just thought that it was a really cool flower and wanted to share it with you.

Happy Father's Day...

I hope everyone found some way to celebrate their fathers today whether he's here with you or just in your heart...

Golden Crowned Kinglet

This little guy here is a Golden Crowned Kinglet. I'd never even heard of one, much less known that that they are native to our region. I guess part of the reason for that is that the bird is barely longer than my thumb.
This one has a story. One day just as I was approaching our front door to go out-WHAM! something crashed right into the storm door window. I looked out to see this guy laying on my porch- out cold. I'm sorry but I had to laugh for a second, thinking about the window cleaner commercial. "Just like on TV !" I said.
Quickly, though, I turned my attention to the unusual looking bird to see if it was hurt. After a few seconds of blowing in it's face ( that's as close as I was coming to CPR) it's little eyes squinted up at me and then, more like a cartoon than real life, those eyes seemed to bug out and it flew away. The flight was a short one though as it skidded across the lawn- more reminiscent of a fighter plane going down than the delicate landing of a tiny bird. To make matters even funnier than they already were (sorry, but it was) the little guy raised up only to stagger sideways a few steps and fall over.
This time when I picked it up it's eyes were open and watching me a little more keenly than before. Well, to make a long story just a little shorter it perched on my thumb for several minutes and when I put it down to get the camera it stayed until my return to pose for several close-ups. After I had my fill of all the different angles I put the camera down and this guy voluntarily stepped back up onto my thumb for a few more minutes and as suddenly as he appeared, he left- this time testing the flight controls from one tree to another.
I'm happy to say that he only pooped once and I'm pretty sure that was at the time of the a fore mentioned bugging eyes...
Anyway, I was happy to be of assistance.

Don Tucker

This is my friend Don Tucker. There are so many stories or just stuff that I could tell you about him but that could fill a page pretty quick. I just wanted to pay homage to him not because of his generosity to those in need or because of all of the good times that we've had or because of the many phone calls I got from him just to see how life was treating me and my family (always ending with "I'll talk to you later brother...") but because yesterday my friend Don lost his life in a auto accident at the age of 58...

I'll talk to you later brother.

Catching A Buzz...

I'm sure that I said before that getting a good lightning picture is half patience and half luck. I guess this one was a lot of both. The other night a storm came in and at first there were only flashes off in the distance. But just as I was about to give up and go to bed a bolt lit up the sky- no, not this bolt- I wasn't that lucky. I set up the camera in the general direction of that first bolt and waited... nothing. Nothing that is except the flashes that I kept seeing out of the corner of my eye. Naturally I decided to try my luck in the direction that was getting all the action and, you guessed it, nothing - nothing except the flashes in the direction in which I was previously pointed!
Well, as I'm sure you can guess this went on for some time but finally I captured this beauty. I was just in the right place at the right time.
I love doing this. Talk about a rush! But when you're standing out in the elements feeling the wind whip around you all the while chasing lightning bolts and the air suddenly flashes so bright that you're temporarily blinded - that's catching a buzz!

By the way, can anyone tell me what the dark specs around the bolt are? I thought at first that it was dirt but I'm pretty sure that they're directly related to the lightning...

Live and Let Live...

Along with the summer fun comes the summer pains-the scraped knees, the poison ivy, the sun burns and the insect bites. Not many of them though, as painful as a wasp sting. Man, those things hurt! I'm hoping not to jinx myself when I say this but it's actually been a few years since I've felt the sting of an angry wasp. Maybe that's because I don't really panic and start a personal war and try to swat it with whatever's handy when I come in close proximity of one.
I've found that a little shooing motion (not too close) or better yet totally ignoring the buzzing insect will generally cause it to lose interest in my business because I think that it's better to live and let live than to fight and get stung - any day of the week!

House Guests

Here's another photo of one of the tree frogs that populate our back yard and the field behind. This is one that happened into our house one evening and found it's way onto one of the many house plants that we have. Like I said before, I have no idea how they can manage to get into the house without being detected as they do. I think it's pretty cool though when one does find it's way in. I'd like to be able to leave it and let it sing it's song all night long but in the confines of these four walls as opposed to the great outdoors well, let's just say there's no need for a microphone and somehow the sweet night music seems to turn to a whole lot of noise!