reflections from a rainy October

Barth Pond -- Downers Grove, IL

It feels like it has rained here EVERY DAY THIS MONTH!! There have been some breaks with sunny blue skies, but they were few and far between. Most skies have been dreary and dismal... unless you like gray, in which case, they were terrific!

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Overcast skies may not by my first preference for outdoor photos, but when I was less than impressed with what was going on above the horizon, I aimed the camera down a little bit and found that the view below had its own special kind of serene beauty. I liked the view of the sky better as a reflection than in the air.

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Have a blessed weekend!

Sky Watch Friday!

Satur-dazzle!

Good googley-moogley, is it Friday already?!

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I didn't post Sky Watch photos last week because of computer problems, and I still haven't finished responding to the good visitors from Today's Flowers. But I have these memories from a couple Saturdays past that I really, really want you to see.

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This is the pond where caught no fish at my friends' barbecue.

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This was taken less than an hour later from the front of their house.

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And barely five minutes later, the skies were even more dramatic!

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Wanna join us for Sky Watch? Click here.

Sky Watch Friday!

blue skies ... good times

I won't say that it was "nuthin' but blue skies," but we had predominately fair weather for last weekend's activities. My parents came up to visit (from Florida) and the top two photos were from Saturday's family reunion at a cousin's farm. There was a little rain off and on, but we had strong sun for a good portion of the day. ...Man, I have a LOT of cousins!!! Some came from as far as Puerto Rico, and one (the sister of the balloon catcher with the orange shirt) just earned a PhD! I resisted the urge to say, "Eh, what's up Doc?"

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The bottom two pics are from a return to my brother's place. That's the same site where we went pond fishing last week. There were plenty of wonderful things to see at both places, but the best part was that I got to spend time with people I love.

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One quick story from the family reunion: There was about 9 of us in the swimming pool, when (just for kicks) I shouted, "Guys! Guys! Help me find my swimming trunks!" You should've seen the looks on their faces!!

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New Sky Watch location:

Visit HERE to enter this week's Sky Watch Friday

skeeter swamp

Two weeks ago, I set out to photograph egrets, and observed that they are amazingly shy. While trying to sneak up on these reclusive birds, I fed a horde of mosquitos. I'm still having nightmares about it. Braving those itchy memories, I fetched these pics for you.

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The first shot is their local hangout. This discovery was made after a fishing expedition at a bigger pond with walkable turf. I found that it has this appendage which is less accessible. I don't know the scientific name, and if there are any naturalists or park rangers reading this, forgive me. But I must describe this spot as dense mosquitoville. I was attempting to get a closer view of our bird, but even with all that tallgrass hiding my zoom lens, whitey flew the coop.

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The next frame is a different shot, zoomed and cropped to the max, so you can see the bird a little better. This is one of the most rewarding photos after trying for months to get a photo. They stand there so pretty, and when they fly, their wings are so big, they glide effortlessly. Their curved neck is their signature as they soar.

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While craning my own neck, trying to get pictures of the herons (egrets), some ducks flew past me. I tried to act fast, and this is what I got. Is there anything on this earth that looks clumsier than a duck landing? If you could translate duck language, what do you think their quacking is saying, as they drop into the water? "Get outta the way; I'm gonna crash!" or "GERONIMOOOO..."