Friday Fun Stuff

Just some random images from the week (most shot with Lensbaby Scout and Fisheye op) ~~

And a couple non-Lensbaby things ~~

Quack.

And honk.

Oh Deer...

When I take a second to plan for my walk (i.e., choosing the correct camera and lens) the results sometimes pay off.  I still can't find my spare battery for my Canon or my iPod, but that's another story.

Stormy skies (or the aftermath of stormy skies) - 10-20mm wide angle.

Feeling funky and fun ~ Lensbaby Scout and Fisheye op

But on most - since I try and hit the trail quite early - the 70-300mm w/a double image stabilizer - a lens I never would have bought for myself (the Mister can be quite generous) is usually a good choice. Because that's when the wildlife is about and in full wake up and grab some breakfast mode.  The timing (and the lens choice) did not fail me this morning.

I found this little girl

And then she found me and said, "I'm outta' here!"

But the best find was this trio ~ Mama and her twin Bambis.

She was a good Mama.  It didn't take her long to spot me.

The she was like, "We're outta' here, kids!"

"Come on!"

Exit Stage Left!

I said Left!

Sigh... Rebels - they were kicking up their little Bambi heels like gazelles!

I assure you ~ it was worth getting sand in my Keens. :)

And on a closing note... I've been inspired to start carrying "The Duck o' the Day" with me on my hikes again. (Rather than every shot being at dinner with a glass of wine. They enjoy nature, too.) It's a little challenge I like to give myself to find the most interesting backdrops/bokey. I've had a few printed on canvas wraps and oh my... I've created a monster (myself).  I see a whole new market opening up ~ baby nurseries, toddler's rooms/baths, people who won't grow up and have big houses... *wink*

So Water Baby and I did a little trial run on the trail this morning.

Oh hang on to your qwackers.. there will be more to come over the days and weeks!  

It feels good to back where I belong.  In nature.

Thru the Eye of the Fish

Yesterday I grabbed my fisheye and my Scarlet Scout (you have to be a Lensbaby person to understand that one) again and went for a much-needed morning walk.  I've nothing profound to say about that. I just had a good walk. 

Come on.  This way. 

It's not the Caribbean; but its as close as I will get to a beach for awhile.

So I can pretend.

The lake shows how desperate our drought situation is.

The waterline normally comes up the the bottom of this image

Like I said ~ nothing profound to say. Just the images from a good walk.

I Heart Summer Mornings

It was a very early morning walk (with my beloved Lensbaby 2.0 and telephoto adapter) in the park today.

Followed by a Ginger Pineapple Banana Smoothie.

I'm actually cutting up bananas to freeze for future smoothies, too.

It was quite yum but I think I will add more pineapple next time.

And go with vanilla yogurt rather than plain.

And then it was time to do a tour of my little garden (which means my potted flowers on my deck and the lilac bushes in the front yard).

I do love early summer mornings...

Mothers. Don't Mess with Them.

The other day seemed rather uneventful in the park.  I noticed the armada approaching.

But they were harmless.

I noticed some "photographers." 

I put that in parenthesis because I kind of have a problem with nature "photographers" driving up in their big ass pickup trucks and whipping out their 100,000 mm lenses to shoot.  I think that's cheating.  (And what are they shooting?  The inside of a pelican's eyeball?)  And sorry, but I think using tripods for nature shooting is for sissies. (Granted I'm blessed with steady hands so maybe that's a little judgmental.)

To me shooting in nature is all about getting out there - getting a little dirty - taking a risk now and then - tripping over rocks (and hopefully not landing lens first in the creek). Really being IN nature. I mean John Fielder used to haul something like 75 lbs. of camera equipment as he hiked to the top of mountains for cryin' out loud.

But I digress.

I said things were uneventful ~ until I came up over the hill and saw this crafty fellow.

And I realized what he was doing.

He was at the market shopping for his picnic breakfast.  I realize a hawk's gotta' do what a hawk's gotta' do, but come on ~ these were babies!

Then he saw me.

And he was not happy.  As my friend, Karen, said,

"No one gives the stink eye like a hawk."

He may have remembered me from the other day.  He looks a lot like the same fellow. At any rate, he wasn't pleased with my presence.

But I did what any good Mother would do 

I suggested he move on down the road.

Or lake as it would be.

No sooner had I made that suggestion than I noticed Mama Duck skirting along the edge of the water drawing his attention away from the babies.

Don't ef with Mothers.

But, of course, like a typical Mom I worried about those babies the rest of the day...