It is early on a spring morning and I am once again moving quietly with my camera amongst the waist high prairie greenery in what once was Leon County’s Lake Jackson. Although the lake has mostly drained, there are marsh lands like the one I walk in now dotted along the edges now turned brilliantContinue reading “Sitting in the Sanctuary”
Tag Archives: nature
Species Spotlight: Bald Eagle; Undisputed Ruler of the Air In These Parts
Many of us have been near Bald Eagles in captivity. That can be breathtaking under the right circumstances. Few things have compared to encountering wild Bald Eagles in close proximity in my life except maybe a wild bear encounter. You immediately come to understand that they are well equipped to do extraordinary amounts of damageContinue reading “Species Spotlight: Bald Eagle; Undisputed Ruler of the Air In These Parts”
Mother’s Day
Today, as I do nearly every day I went hiking with my camera. I did so after wishing my own mother a happy Mother’s Day and cooking my wife breakfast. I went to one of my usual haunts not expecting to see anything extraordinary but ever hopeful. As I rolled into the area, I wasContinue reading “Mother’s Day”
Species Spotlight: Snowy Egret; Graceful Predator
There are many things about wildlife photography that I find fascinating and uplifting and I have written about a fair number of them. One that deserves a brief comment is that as I photograph species, I learn about them. I take the time to learn the identifying characteristics, what makes a male and female different,Continue reading “Species Spotlight: Snowy Egret; Graceful Predator”
Adventure After a Lifetime of Adventure
After the dust settles and the phone calls fade, veterans and first responders (as do many others who had exciting careers) who retire all face a similar question: “What now?”. If your first professional chapter was honor drivern duty driven, full of excitement, challenges and lifetime bonds, where do you go from there? What canContinue reading “Adventure After a Lifetime of Adventure”
Gear
In previous posts I have extolled the virtues of trekking into the back country and losing yourself for a while. There is a great deal to be said for leaving the busy world and our electronic lives behind for a bit and spending time with nature. The best way to avoid injury while doing soContinue reading “Gear”
If I Pay Attention In Class
When I was a child, I was a very poor student. I had better things to do than pay attention in class. I doodled, read stuff that was not assigned, talked, and gazed out of the window because the outside world beckoned. As an aging adult, I hope that I’m a better student now thanContinue reading “If I Pay Attention In Class”
Tranquility
On account of reader requests, this is going to be primarily a photo-drop. But it will be a photo-drop with a theme. Make the effort to find tranquility. It’s worth it. I arrived in the wildlife refuge without the fanfare of a brilliant sunrise on this trip. No crimson rays streaking across the marshes. NoContinue reading “Tranquility”
Persistence Pays
In the age of digital photography there is a freedom that I never felt with a 35mm film camera in my hands. The person behind a digital camera can point it and fire it off as many times as they like with no cost except a time penalty on the back end when they haveContinue reading “Persistence Pays”
Raptor
The Oxford Dictionary defines raptor in the following manner: noun, a bird of prey, e.g., an eagle, hawk, falcon, or owl. Raptors tend to inspire a sense of awe in us humans. They are strong, fast, agile, fierce, loyal (some mate for life and defend territories fiercely) and striking to look at. They inspire a sense ofContinue reading “Raptor”
Expeditions
Webster defines expedition in the following way: noun a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose. I don’t quibble with that definition, but the word seems to carry more meaning as well. That additional meaning is why auto manufacturers and movie makers have included the word in their products. There is a sense ofContinue reading “Expeditions”
Sometimes, Just For Beauty’s Sake
MGM movies begin with a roaring lion and “Ars Gratia Artis“. Recently I’ve noticed that MGM has added a translation for those of us not fluent in Latin and I now know it means “Art for Art’s Sake“. I love the sentiment behind this and after some thought, decided that after writing about retirement, wellness,Continue reading “Sometimes, Just For Beauty’s Sake”
Lessons From The Field
Throughout my career and certainly during the first portion of my career, the people I have worked with would likely agree that a commonly used adjective to describe me would not be “patient”. It’s likely that my children and some of my friends would join my former coworkers in a chorus of laughter if someoneContinue reading “Lessons From The Field”
Embracing Change
My footfalls were quiet on the moisture laden grass. There was just enough light so I was comfortable walking through the mist and finding my way. The sun broke over the horizon fully and the mist covered marsh I was standing in suddenly began to come alive. In the part of the world where IContinue reading “Embracing Change”
Moments
Since the dawn of photography, photographs have been glimpses of people, places, animals and events…moments in time captured in a way that seems to appeal to the human psyche. As I set forth with a camera in hand I usually have several goals in mind. Among them capturing beauty is certainly one. Eliciting emotion onContinue reading “Moments”
On Adventures
Most adventures begin with a hero pondering life or in an epic clash with some antagonist. There are a few that begin with a hero at rest in a tranquil environment experiencing life as it should be only to be interrupted by a damsel in distress or an offer he can’t refuse. Clive Cussler wasContinue reading “On Adventures”
Wildlife Reset
Most Saturdays like everyone, I like to sleep in. Yesterday my body had other ideas. I woke earlier than on the days when I need to be in early for work. I checked the news and found the world was still crazy. People still hated each other and overlooked the many things they have inContinue reading “Wildlife Reset”
Unexpected Find
The small county park off of the Crawfordville Highway here in Leon County is easy to drive by. I must have done so hundreds of times. But this still summer morning I stood on the modest graffiti laden boardwalk/overlook and looked out at the still, glassy waters of Lake Munson. The long eerie cry ofContinue reading “Unexpected Find”
Urban Wild Kingdom
I imagine it was sometime in the early 1970s. The television was small, black and white and had an arrangement of antennas on top that would make any modern HAM radio operator jealous. Occasional lines zig-zagged across the screen and static was common as members of my family and I tuned into Mutual of Omaha’sContinue reading “Urban Wild Kingdom”
The Rhythm of Life
As the first crimson fingers of what promises to be a stunning sunrise sneak across the inky sky, creatures begin to stir. The first birds to herald the coming of the sunrise are Northern Cardinals and Carolina Wrens where I live. Their songs pierce the cool, humid summer morning air. They are the first toContinue reading “The Rhythm of Life”
Hidden Gems
This country of ours is filled with people and places that never cease to amaze and impress me. Breathtaking landscapes touched by the hand of God himself, thundering waterfalls, abundant and wildly varying wildlife and amongst that splendor are kind, interesting, engaging, hard working people. RVing and camping is a fantastic way to see ourContinue reading “Hidden Gems”
North Florida Safari
I’ve written about getting out there and about photography. Maybe it’s time to combine the two, take you with me and chronicle an actual adventure. It’s late in the season to hike in the Saint Marks Wildlife Refuge. Not because a person on a hike might not be able to see all kinds of wonderfulContinue reading “North Florida Safari”
Clicking About
I had a fantastic childhood. Although it was not without bumps and bruises, I was blessed with an outstanding family. My brother and I were constantly outside roaming the neighborhood when we were home with a group of friends. We rode bikes, built forts, battled unseen foes, played sports and had to be forced toContinue reading “Clicking About”
Birding Basics II
3/30/25. One of my readers gave me some feedback recently. Apparently, when reading the blog, it is not obvious to the reader when the blog was written. Good information for me to have, and I appreciate the feedback. The last bog was lengthy. This one will not be. I did want to follow up withContinue reading “Birding Basics II”
Birding Basics
For my newer readers who are not aware, I’ll quickly recap how I started birding. Then for those who might be interested, I’ll share how birding connects to wellness, give you a few pointers based on the many mistakes I’ve made, and then share some of what I’ve found. Shortly after I retired, I foundContinue reading “Birding Basics”
Adventure Is Out There
Webster defines adventure in the following ways: a an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks or b the encountering of risks. Sometimes we forget how small our world has become. It’s healthy for us to remind ourselves that the world is vastly larger than the space we occupy in our banal, day to dayContinue reading “Adventure Is Out There”
Tranquility
Over the course of previous blog posts, I have extolled the virtues of hiking/walking in the woods for our well being. I do not intend to re-hash those posts. What I do want to do here is share an experience I had recently with a walk in the woods and wilderness and its effect onContinue reading “Tranquility”
Getting Out There
Shortly after the last blog dropped, I bumped into an old friend while traipsing about looking for subjects for my camera. The subject of this blog is in part as a result of that conversation, and in part as a result of feedback that I got as a result of the previous blog. Birding andContinue reading “Getting Out There”
All The Winged Neighbors
They are all around us. Some of the most prolific and visible life forms on the planet. In the south, we wake to the songs of the Cardinals and Carolina Wrens singing bright, vibrant song to herald the arrival of the new day.Another benefit of living in the south is that many of us haveContinue reading “All The Winged Neighbors”
Neighbors
To date, everything I have written has been about wellness, heathy living and warrior servants moving into the retirement chapter of their lives. Sometimes, things need a slightly different perspective. I recently realized that I have been observing and photographing a mated pair of red shouldered hawks who live in my neighborhood for about threeContinue reading “Neighbors”
On Beyond Blue 