Sometimes it is the Journey AND the Destination

Ralph Waldo Emerson is attributed with the quote “It’s the not the Destination, It's the journey.” More often than not the statement makes sense. However, sometimes anomalies exist as another fellow and I experienced today.

Radio work was needed on the Bremer County public safety communications system. To complete some of the work involved an interesting journey in a small, hardly one-person elevator car constructed of open, woven steel that inched its way up the 120’ to the location of the radio equipment rack on the roof of the silo. The elevator ride was my journey…the roof-mounted equipment rack was my destination. One took your breath away with a view of a quaint, rural town in Iowa while one took your breath away as you hoped claustrophobia, or….

More Season Indicators

What an interesting weather day! Only a few miles from our house the folks enjoyed many inches of snow. We ended the day with not even a snowflake and we are fine with that. After all, it is spring, right?

Today we enjoyed several spring indicators. I saw my first turkey vulture and photographed my first killdeer at close range (first saw them last week). Click for more.

Seasons

According to the calendar we changed seasons one day last week. While most people divide the year into four seasons, for me - at least at the cabin - there are two seasons. Season 1 includes the many months when the dock is in the water. Season 2 would be the rest of the year (a much more disappointing time). As of mid-morning today, Season 1 arrived as our third oldest grandchild learned how to help put the dock in the water. Now we need to use it!

Wow (with details) and Waterfowl

Last night the aurora borealis (northern lights) were easily visible over Northeast Iowa. Many people were out enjoying the display with eyes, cell phones, and cameras. I recorded many images and learned in the process since we seldom photograph northern lights in our area.

Following are some of the details I noticed for the next northern lights photo shoot.

* No UV filter to minimize/eliminate Newton's Rings.

* Have a second camera recording video or multiple images to create a video.

* If doubting white balance or sensor heating up - shoot to the south. If no color cast, then you are really recording the multitude of colors from the display.

* Watch for solar winds to push the lights around. It is hard to record - maybe just enjoy the show.

* Remember the rules for recording stars on time-lapse - long exposure but not too long so stars are distorted.

* Last night was such a long, vivid show that I eventually put my in-camera intervalometer to work. Work smarter, not harder!

* Experiment with settings. Maybe the lights bright enough you can…

Shameless Self-promotion

Every now and then I dabble in photography and writing. OK, maybe a little more than dabbling.

Sometimes my efforts result in more than simply sharing images on my website or through social media. Occasionally my work makes it to print and is more widely distributed for others to enjoy.

For the latest edition of the Iowa Outdoors magazine I not only have an article with many photos published in the center, but one of my images made the cover.

At the risk of appearing to boast (I am not), I will admit that I am proud to see how nice the layout is and how the images look in print. The folks who put the Iowa Outdoors magazine together did a fine job. Thank you Brian and team!

Reconnecting with Bill

The more I wander this dirtball called earth, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. Of the little I know, one detail I am aware of is the value of friendships. Friendships - close or closer than you realized. Friendships - the kind where you see someone from across a room and within a few words have reconnected after years of disconnect.

Today I, along with other public health, EMS, hospital, and EMA planners, met to conduct an exercise to plan for the future. Our group was divided by counties - filling a hall at Upper Iowa University. As I participated in the discussion, one fellow caught my attention as he took his seat with his county of residence. I thought I was seeing Bill, but yet I was not certain. The last I knew, Bill was the captain of a whale watching ship in the Pacific Northwest. Eventually, during a break, I texted the fellow next to him - another friend (Dan) - to ask who the guy was that looked so much like Bill. My other friend did not receive the text in time to answer my question.

Soon after the exercise wrapped up my friend Dan waved me over to his table. As I approached the table my wondering ended as I recognized Bill was back. Almost as quickly as a snap of fingers the years apart vanished and we almost picked up our conversation where left off so long ago.

Yes Bill is still running the big boat in his retirement while at the same time he is connected locally. He is as well as can be expected as am I. We talked, we laughed, and we agreed to get together to catch up on old times. What an interesting sidenote to today’s gathering!

During the few minutes as people arrived and prepared for the exercise, conversations included the foggy conditions we had this morning. There were at least two of us who find fog pretty, unless it makes driving unsafe. I am one who enjoys fog and what it does for photography. For example - before work I photographed trumpeter swans and wood ducks in fog. My compositions began with close-ups of both species - where the birds were a major element in the frame. Eventually my favorite image became a much wider view that featured the timber, the shallow water, the fog, and the swans. I will share several versions of compositions. Which do you prefer?

This Is Layla

My walk with Kristy tonight had an extra four legs with it, at least for part of the time, when Layla joined us. Layla is our Shih Tzu with an ample list of issues - she is pretty much blind in one eye and headed that way in the other, is possessed with selective deafness, has no teeth, suffers from a tongue that falls out due to no teeth, occasionally drools, and sports a somewhat wider chassis than is needed for the size of her head.

We took Layla on our walk so we could get her use to her pet stroller. She needs that since she lacks stamina unless she is chasing…

What We Saw (Quality Challenged)

After work this afternoon Kristy and I enjoyed another long walk at Sweet Marsh. Our goal was to see what might be happening on a very pleasant first day of spring.

From our vantage point on the dikes we observed…

Sweet Marsh in the Wind Observations

Breezy or not, Kristy and I walked around the refuge, above the dam, along Marten’s Lake, and around Segment A at Sweet Marsh this afternoon. With the windy conditions we were not sure if we would see much or not. See things we did!

Our first observations were killdeer - maybe a dozen pairs - in the shallow channel in the refuge.

We found most of our bald eagle observations in the protected area in the corner above the dam and over Marten’s Lake. Adult eagles were not nearly as willing to fly over us as younger birds were.

Gramps and Grandma Camp

This weekend two of our grandkids had an opportunity for us to stay with them at their house for the day or them to stay with us for the weekend. Both chose camp at our house for the weekend. That meant it was time for special activities.

First we had our pancake flipping and catching for breakfast. Today was special when we made Funfetti pancakes, along with sausage and fruit. Only a couple of pancakes touched something other than plates - attributed to bad flips from Gramps. Afterwards our granddaughter and Kristy worked on crafts while our grandson and I went…

Beginning of Something Beautiful?

This afternoon I accepted a donation of milkweed seeds to be included in our CRP pollinator habitat in the next few weeks. Hopefully these seeds will help with the dwindling monarch butterfly population.

I know I do not mind adding extra milkweed seeds to my mix of grasses and forbs. Milkweed plants may not be as showy as some plants, but the monarchs they attract certainly are.

Miserable Way to Wait Out the Weather

I suppose when you are a wild trumpeter swan and the weather gets nasty, you don’t really have too many options other than to wait out the storm.

This swan was part of a family group resting in corn stubble as wind blew rain and sleet on them. I have a hunch that before darkness set in they were planning to move to the safety of open water somewhere. That was not happening while I watched them.

Watching You Watching Me and a Sweet Marsh Update

Thank you to this “gray ghost” - an adult male northern harrier that put on an exceptional show of flight skills for me today.

Successful pictures of the aerial hunting were minimal, but I was afforded enough to share with others. I noticed as I looked at the images on my screen that I was watching the harrier as it was watching me.

Sunrise on the Road

Today’s image is not perfect. Noticeable lens flare fills part of the frame while the arrangement between the rising sun and the road is skewed. There is just something about the picture that will likely stop it from ever being used beyond today.

Yet, this picture captures the essence of the day. We conducted a full-scale exercise based on a severe weather event followed by a necessary meeting later in the day. My Tuesday was filled with activity - worthwhile activity - that made the hours pass too fast. This picture documents the only few quiet seconds of today.

Sometimes… too often… life seems to drift out of balance. Schedules fill up and quiet time is forgotten. We need quiet time to normalize, to recharge, and for the health of our souls. Yet, quiet time is forgotten because it is easy to ignore. We fill each minute with the busyness of important activities and then wonder why life seems out of balance.

After the past few days I am going to focus on rebalancing. I need a little more quiet time than what I saw at an intersection this morning. This sunrise on the road was a good reminder. I got the message…it is time for quiet time!

“You are Such a Goon”

Lately I have not been sleeping well. Instead of tossing and turning, I use my “awake” time to improve my education…either through reading or in my role as the Valedictorian of YouTube University.

Some time ago I learned of a way to through sparks to make interesting pictures. I was not sure if what I had learned was legitimate or not. Since I did not have time today to get out and shoot pictures of migrating waterfowl or river otters or owls, I experimented with some “Spark Ring” ideas. This was the best I came up with - so far.

Kristy happened to look out while I was making spark rings. Her comment when I came in… “You are such a goon!” I think that translates to “I am so jealous of your creativity and want to try that some time!”

Note: If you attempt this, you are responsible for all safety precautions.

What A Display!

Even with brisk weather conditions - cold temperatures with winds matching the temps - the wildlife displays in our areas were exceptional this morning. Above the dam in Frederika many bald eagles were feeding on the remains of carp laying on the ice.

Appropriate Composition

Today’s image features yet another lone tree I found in a snowy field. Such a composition seemed appropriate for the day. Unpleasant, gloomy weather and too much wind with intermittent snow and rain made for a productive, but not too exciting of a day. Days like this are acceptable as long as the conditions don’t become permanent.

Not Too Many Words

Today was a tough, challenging day for many of us today. As a result, I don’t have too much to type. Instead I will share images of dancing sandhill cranes that gave me a few seconds of thought diversion.

Late Snow - Two Views

After a productive morning and a fun afternoon nature photography program, I went for a drive to see what I could find in the falling snow. As often happens, the snow blurring my vision of trees in a timber caught my eye. That the trees had white bark mixed with red oak leaves meant I had to stop for a photo….

Camouflage

We humans do a pretty good job of creating camouflage to help us blend into our environments. Our 3D ghillie suits and even some patterned clothing is a near match. As good as our camo is, I am not sure it matches what nature accomplishes on an every day basis, at least for some species or genders of some wildlife species.

Today I noticed a drake mallard in shallow water in a wooded area. My eyes focused on his gaudy colors - that green head and lighter colored back. It wasn’t until I looked around that I recognized a hen mallard was nearby. She blended so well with her environment that I nearly missed seeing her.

These two are probably a mated pair. Soon he will be distracting predators away from the nest where she will be concealed as she warms eggs.