Value-added Learning Some of you may know that one of the responsibilities in my job is to assist with missing person searches. Over the years I have been a part of many search efforts – some with happy outcomes and some ending with sadness. During each response I learn something…maybe a new technique, perhaps …
Exploring New Water and Old Water Rain and drizzle or not, we went camping this weekend. It may be hard to believe, but we had a good time once the precipitation stopped falling. Just as the drizzle was ending I put my kayak on the water. Instead of paddling my routine route …
Sharing What I Know, For What It Is Worth Since he was seven-years old, the son of friends of ours has been doing things with me. We camp together, ride fat tire bikes together, paddle kayaks together, and spend time dabbling in photography together. As he is maturing, his determination has grown and his …
Dragonfly Eye A photo-shooting buddy and I enjoyed a pleasant walk in a dew-covered prairie shortly after sunrise today. We shot many photos, but the best opportunities were of a black saddlebag dragonfly. The dragonfly was covered in dew and unable to fly. Under those conditions, we were able to shoot many photos at …
What is Coming While paddling this morning I took notice of how many leaves had already dropped to the surface of Big Woods Lake. Seeing the various leaves floating effortlessly during the third week of August causes me to ask “How bad is it going to get?” “Will winter be early this year?” …
On The Prairie As the day wound down I enjoyed a quiet walk on a trail that led through a prairie planting that is a good number of years old. With age in its favor, quite a number of plant species can be found. Following are images of some of the plants that are …
Photos From a Big Woods Lake Safari My plan for the morning was to fish Big Woods Lake and figure out how to catch crappie that I have read about coming from the lake. My kayak was decked out with my fishfinder, tackle, my favorite rod and reel, bait, and camera gear. On the …
A Weekend of Wildlife and Wildflower Photography Wow, what a great weekend of camping with friends and wildlife and wildflower photography! To shoot wildlife photos I left camp early, before others were out and about, and was on the water in my kayak as the sun was rising over the horizon. For those wondering, …
Cleanliness Observation As I watched and photographed a variety of bird species today, I noticed that each of the species I was watching appeared to be very clean. Then I considered the sandhill cranes that appear brown but are actually gray. What is the difference? How can bright white birds that feed in almost …
A Cold Morning Big Woods Lake Wildlife Extravaganza Yesterday I paddled my kayak at Big Woods Lake and saw a variety of wildlife. Unfortunately, I was forced to shoot the pictures against a gray sky due to weather conditions. When I saw this morning that our sky was bright blue and cloud free, I decided …