absent and absent-minded

Friends, it's been way, too long. I apologize for not having visited you. I have been painfully busy, and I sure hope things settle down to a more manageable level soon.

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I do not even have a lot of photos to show for the absence, but here is one from last week.

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As usual, there is a story behind the pic. I went fishing with five kids from church. When I arrived at the desired spot, they jumped out of the minivan and started running towards the water. I called out to them and recalled the young fishermen because although I had a tacklebox and even some worms, I had forgotten all of my fishing poles!

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Okay, so we all went back so that I could retrieve the poles from my house, and then we had the normal amount of activity, helping them all get set up to fish. I began casting as well, but half-an-hour into it, a chill ran down my spine. I suddenly realized that I did not have my fishing license with me.

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Children under sixteen years of age do not need a license, so I set my pole down, and let them continue as I walked back and forth checking on them, untangling line and typical troubleshooting. My wife's camera was in the van, so I hovered over and around them, looking for a good shot.

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As the sun was setting, I was aiming to get something with a colorful background and fill-in flash. I think this was a test shot of what I was trying to get, but I played with post editing, and liked this one better.

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Oh, and as it pertains to the fish... we all got skunked!

thank God for Tylenol

Thanks for the tips about clouds. I already use a polarizing filter (and a UV filter) for most of my sky photos. Sometimes good cloud pics for me are more an accident than planned. Dusk makes a big difference. This was taken near the end of daylight. (No post-editing except for a little cropping.)

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It was a busy weekend, but I missed one item that was on Saturday's agenda. Originally, I had hoped to go fishing at sunrise. The busy-ness of the week left me without any preparations before that morning, and when the alarm cock-a-doodled, I was not in the mood for looking for my fishing license, going through the tackle box, etc., just to sit outside in the damp, frigid air by myself. This sorry, achy bag of bones just rolled over and snoozed until the sun was fully awake. Sleep is good. I chose to forego the road less traveled Saturday morning, and I'm glad I did.

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I'll tell you what I'm not glad about. My youngest son and I were walking together, and he said "Race ya." Without thinking, we both broke into a full sprint. I must remember to never, never, never try to run without warming up and/or getting my head examined first. My whole body is punishing me today for that foolishness... especially my knees. The next time he tries to race me, I'll just fling whatever I'm holding at his feet, help him up from the fall and say, "Walk it off, Son."

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Right now, I need a good cup of hot coffee and some aspirin.

teach a man to fish...

This is what I did with all the extra free time while camping. I went FISHING! It has been said that I am so obsessed with this new hobby that I'll dip a lure if I find a puddle in the middle of a parking lot. It would be more fun if I knew what I was doing, but a bad day of fishing is better than a good day doing just about anything else.

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On his second cast, Brother Greg got this little guy, but that's all we were going to see during the entire expedition.

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There were lots of fish in the lake, but we just couldn't coax them out of the water. We weren't having any luck with lures and night crawlers, so I wondered if there might be any other effective way of winning this contest...

catch and release

Try to remember a camera when you go fishing. That increases your chances of catching something. That is to say, if you don't get a fish, perhaps you can at least shoot a nice landscape or waterfowl.

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Here, Brother Greg seems to have pulled something ashore. The beast was so ugly we had to toss it back. ;-)

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.

hoppin' good times

The big news this weekend was soccer. The team my buddy and I coach, on which both of us have children who play... we won our first game!!! Unfortunately, we didn't take pictures.

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The rest of this weekend was crammed with all kinds of good stuff. Saturday afternoon, we went to a cookout at a friend's house. These guys really know how to throw a party. The mix of people was absolutely delightful. There were a few new faces from his family and neighbor friends... Loved it! After eating waaaay too much, and a season of friendly chatter, the siren song of their pond overcame any sense of social graces. I pulled the fishing tackle out of my van, and extended our party to the edge of the water. The fish barely nibbled. Mostly I just caught glares from the local frogs.

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One coworker tells me that the Asian way of eating is, how shall I call it? More "communal?" Everybody shares all the stuff in the middle of the table. I think I would prefer eating that way. If we did, I could have sampled a little of this, and a little of that, without feeling like I had to polish off a whole cheeseburger by myself between other savory morcels. The food was terrific. I'll say it again; this guy really knows how to throw a party!

midweek huddle

My parents came up from their home in the South. They will be visiting for a couple of weeks, and staying with one of my brothers. I took Tuesday day off of work; we had a cookout, and guess what else we did?...

[clockwise from top: Craver, SIL (she refused to touch the fish she caught), S1, Brother (SIL's hubby)]

Our family grew up real tight, until we (six) siblings grew up. Now that people bought homes in scattered places, it's rare to have all eight (parents plus kids) in the same place.

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When we got together on Tuesday, I really felt close with my brothers. It was as if we had never moved away. Dad got a temporary fishing license, and hung out with us for a bit, but he later told us that fishing is not really his thing. That's okay.

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It was heart-warming to see our kids getting along so well with their cousins, but let me tell you about something that one of our kids did. My brother (the host) was visited by a friend of his family. We have never met her before. She was introduced by her first name to all the grown ups. My son (S2) asked her for her last name. Then said, "Hello Miss (last name)." And he gave her a hug. She was impressed, and as the lad's parents, we felt most honored. Atta boy, S2!

Sky Watch Friday!

little buddy

Friday (July 11th) is my birthday. I'll be working. I like my work, but honestly, I'd rather take the day off, go fishing, take pictures, and hang out in the blogosphere.

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I took S2 to work with me on Wednesday. I let him stuff envelopes and do some collating for filing. He liked being with Dad at the office. Afterwards, we went fishing with a close pal and his two little kids. I had a really cool, new lure that I wanted to try out. When we arrived to the fishing spot, I prepped S2's line and set him up with a softgel minnow on a weedless hook. Sure, that takes a little longer than the prefab lures, but I wanted to increase his chances of catching something. After his pole was ready, I cast it once. Bang, bang! The bluegills immediately nipped at the tail a few times, but none got hooked yet. I handed S2 his rod and turned to get my own stuff ready.

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I've bored you with enough details. If you're still reading, the long story short is that when I was FINALLY ready, I cast my own line, and that fancy lure kept going, and going... The line had been severed, and now my lure was stranded, way in the middle of this pond!

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Fortunately, it was a floater, and I fished it back with a couple of criss-crossing casts. (Say that ten times real fast.) Whew!

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Anyhoo, it was a beautiful night, and when we got home, S2 raved about what a great day it had been.

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Visit Tom to enter this week's Sky Watch Friday.

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Update: Hey, guess what... I'm 50. That's not what my birth certificate says, but the folks at the office refuse to accept my real age of 43, and decided that I am 50 instead. (Or 51, depending on who you ask.)

raptor rapsody

Dear friends, whilst reading yesterday's post, L.L. Barkat asked whether I was going to add bird watching to fishing as a pastime. Birds fascinate me... their ultralight skeletal structure, lung system, unique beauty, the way they find a lofty perch and catch spectacular views, and of course their ability to fly. I could go on, and on about why I like to observe birds! But I do not think I could develop a serious birdwatching hobby at the present, because of a couple things. First, there is the question of time. What would I cut into, to make time for birdwatching? (shudder) Second, I have a cheap pair of binoculars, and a book for identifying birds at home, but it would be so much easier if I went with someone who could "show me the ropes."

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Enter Billy, the seagull. He talks. I knew that some of you would be skeptical about the talking thing, which is why I provided photographic evidence.

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Billy knows a lot about fishing, and said that he could also show me where to look for birds, plus he has an insider's wealth of bird-knowledge. Can you believe my luck?!

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..."

new fishin' hole

There are three of us fishies down here. Can you see us? Mr. Craver, there is a smallmouth bass on the other side of the pond that wants to say hello to you. Thanks for the tip, Fellas. Hello Mr. Craver. Hello young bass friend, how are you? You are looking well today. Thanks for the picture. Mr. Carp, is that you? You're very funny, doing that "fin thing," but I know there are no sharks in here. Come to the fishing line, so I can have a better look. No? Perhaps another time. Bye for now, Fishies.

heron now

Egrets, I've had a few... but then again, too few to mention.

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It seems like I've been chasing this bird for the longest time! I never had the camera with me or ready to shoot when seeing one flying over or even standing still.

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Yes, I know this shot is terribly blurry, but this is the best I have for now. If the place that I caught this one is a regular resting place, maybe I'll bring a tripod next time.

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Last night, I did not go out with the intention of photographing a heron, (also known as an egret). I wanted to test a new fishing hole for about fifteen minutes, right after soccer practice. I always bring a camera when I go fishing, just in case I catch something. Two of these beauties were wading in the shallows on the other side of the water. For lack of time, plus fear of scaring them away, I did not make the trek around the pond. I have this crazy zoom on my camera--it says it can go 20x!! So, I zoomed all the way, snapped the shot, and then from the view/play mode, zoomed in even more on that.

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As I drove away, I thought I saw one more around the bend that had a darker coloring, but there were no convenient spots to pull over and I had no time left, so I drove on. Maybe next week I can try again.

first catch

After Sunday's fierce storms, we walked over to the local park with one of our closest friends. This day was to be filled with adventure for each of us. On one cast, the kids lost the top half of their pole. Not permanently-- I was able to retrieve it from the water. Only a few casts before that, they tangled their line real bad, and I had to cut some off, then they lost a lure at the bottom of the weeds.

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I wasn't doing much better. Somebody neglected to clean up after their dog and I stepped right in the middle of it! My rod segments stayed intact, but on one cast, the reel assembly came apart and went flying into the water. I thought for sure that I would have to buy a new one, but with a little patience, I salvaged all the pieces and reassembly was successful. While trying to fix my mess, a young man walked up to me and began a conversation. Between paying attention to him and keeping an eye on the kids, I stabbed myself with a fishhook. Nothing major-- it wasn't deep enough to snag the barb.

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Until Sunday evening, I had a perfect (zero) record for catching fish. Lo and behold, this time I finally caught one!! I asked S2 to snap a picture, and then quickly released the little bluegill back into the water.

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The kids watched the tadpoles for a little longer before we packed up our gear and walked home. For the most part, I'd say it was a good day. Now about that shoe...

dinner is served

This photograph was taken a week ago in front of a friend's house. It was just minutes after the lenscap photo I posted on the 27th. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!!

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I couldn't see exactly what this robin was feeding them, but supposing it was worms, I'll use that to make a leap to talk about fishing (because worms = bait).

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I took the older son fishing last night, and I STILL haven't caught anything, but this time was different from all the other times, because these fish were biting. They just weren't getting hooked is all. I wish I had an underwater camera to show me exactly what was going on. These fish were aggressively going after one type of lure that comes in a plastic ziplock bag. Taste's great/less filling. They would bite and give a couple of tugs on my line and then spit it out. So I kept telling my son, "Got one... nevermind."

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Maybe I'm using the wrong size hook or inserting it wrong in the bait. I'm going to visit Bass Pro Shop soon to look at their commercial lures and see if I can get an idea of what to do.

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Most importantly though, my son said he had a good time. I'm really glad. I hope this memory will last for him.

Sky Watch Friday!

Hooked!

Those who have been reading my recent posts must know by now that I am hooked on fishing. This was the scene at Sunday night's fishing spot. You might be able to see my bobber (float) just off center in the above photo. Tranquil scenery, isn't it?

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Did you hear about the one that got away? ALL of them got away, because I still have never caught a fish! It doesn't really matter, because we all had a good time. I even liked the visit from the park cop. He came checking for our licenses, and received free entertainment from our kids who had been doing a bit of sleuthing.

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What?! Did I just feel a tug on the line? Nope, I got a good fight from a log at the bottom and some landscape netting, sometimes resulting in lost lures but alas, no fishie nibbles.

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Here's a question I'd like to toss out there to see if anyone can help. Do geese scare fish? We had a gaggle of three or four families parade through and swim near our spot. Do you think that's what made our fish so bashful? I would like to pack some food, go early and stay longer, maybe in a more secluded spot... no geese this time.

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Close-up of the rock-island in the middle of the water.

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Visit Tom if you want to play along with Sky Watch Friday.

ufo

Oooh look! A UFO speeding away into the night sky! Methinks they abducted me and experimented with my brain, 'cause I had a whopper of a headache Monday. It hurt so bad, I left my friends' house before dessert! I'm all-better now though; thanks.

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Sunday night we went fishing for one and-a-half hours. I STILL haven't got a nibble, but the scenery was magnificent. I'm saving that photo for Sky Watch Friday. Yes... to date, I have never, ever caught a fish!

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Beautiful landscapes, candid portraits, baby birdies, pretty flowers, UFO's that look remarkably identical to CD-Roms... It's very rewarding to always carry my trusty old Mavica digicam.

time to remember

One of my kids had my camera, and I asked him to snap a photo of the clock on the wall because I didn't have my watch. That way, if someone wanted to know what time it was, I could just look at the image in my camera! Pretty smart, huh?

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Speaking of time, it's time to remember all those who have fallen while serving in our military. I'll be fishing in the morning, grilling in the afternoon, probably having popcorn and a movie at night, but remembering throughout the day. Their sacrifice is not forgotten.