I took the camera but was not in the mood to take pictures. We relaxed and listened to some great music. Watched children swimming and playing around the old wooden dock.

We were sort of outsiders but welcomed. It was nice to watch folks familiar with each other making the rounds visiting and talking. Even the kids got their chance to go to the stage and sing. I hope the picnics or fish fry’s you have this weekend are as relaxing. The images today are leftovers. Sometimes leftovers taste great. I hope you enjoy these.

As an observer I have seen the instant of birth and the instant of death. At these times I was not looking for answers. Those times did affect me spiritually. The joys and the losses never supplying any surprises. They appeared to me to be natural. The way it is supposed to be.

Every human is reared differently. The input that makes up their beliefs derived from the varied background they have experienced. Being an avid reader it behooves me to gather as much information about all aspects of life I can garner.

Walking each day I see the myriad of life forms that exist in my little world. The interaction of which is fascinating to observe. My compulsion to capture and share it is not fanatical or obsessive. I could stop and do something else without pain or conflict. Writing about the detections, examinations, research, of the images I capture does lead to scrutiny.

At the present time all I can do is appreciate the diversity. Give thanks for the opportunity. For me that is enough.

The haze of my existence an evolutionary religion that makes me I.

We never know why horrible things like this happen. Fun can turn to tragedy in an instant. I don’t recall any Memorial days before that one. With the ten thousand dollars my in-laws received they helped us purchase a farm in Kentucky. Bringing there daughter, our son and I back to my wife’s home. I can’t imagine the loss of a child.

We do what we can to protect our children. We must also allow them the freedom to live out their own lives. Observing nature I see that mothers will put themselves in harms way to protect their young. These Wood Ducks are on the pond where I saw the coyote yesterday.

For many years after that we camped along the shores of Kentucky Lake on Memorial Day weekends. Fishing, exploring, appreciating the joys of time spent with family. It was primitive camping, picking a spot where it would be just us. With the changing of the times and more restrictions, we would probably get run off from camping on that TVA land today.

On this holiday weekend I am thankful that I got to raise a few kids. That they turned out fine. I hope the memories they have of time spent in nature with their parents are pleasant ones.

No matter where you land this holiday weekend I ask you to be safe.

Reach out and grab on to those you love. Appreciate the time you have together.

If you have young it is all to soon that they leave the nest. Leaving you with Memories.

I find the quest for the perfect picture similar to throwing the perfect knuckleball. You do everything possible to be in the right position with the right settings, light, lens, angle, prior to letting fly with the shutter. The resulting shot or pitch affected by factors uncontrollable. I found it interesting that the titles I chose for the last couple posts ended up with the authors using the same words in the book when I read the next few chapters. It is odd to be in sync with a book I am reading.

Prior to reading this book I knew nothing about the ballplayer. I had heard the name. I avoid following professional baseball. Baseball a passion I let go of a very long time ago. I recommend this book to anyone interested not only in baseball but the human condition. Perseverance, faith, turmoil, along with the ups and downs of life’s journey are written within the covers of this book. Better yet it leaves the reader in a place where one can pickup and follow the baseball journey of this player of life. Enjoy and pull for his success as I continue my own journey to “Wherever I Wind Up”.

In the fast paced world of today the chance to be in the moment is vaporous. A time when information and multi-tasking are at the forefront of everything we do. If you are not on the fast track folks wonder what is wrong with you. I fight this rush to accomplish every day taking pictures. When I should be relaxing and allowing that magical instant to arrive.

Preparation to be where you are supposed to be in the best light will come my way I know it. It takes a certain amount of acceptance and faith.

Most of all for me it takes a positive attitude. If it only came natural. Thank goodness it does not. That is what makes being in the moment so special when it happens.

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The parents of this new generation in our family are older, more mature, and I think more prepared than I was when entering parenthood. Hell, truth be known I may still be taking baby steps learning to grow up on my death bed.

It is natural for humans to learn taking baby steps. I thought about the many undertakings in my life and how it was one series of baby steps after another. Thank goodness early on I met up with the “Little Woman”. A partner to aide me in peeling back the layers to lead me out of the underbrush so to speak, I would start out in. An idea would come to me and I would jump in then go to figuring out that there are many small steps to get where I was aiming.

How about you? Do you get a picture in your mind then go for it? Or do you first take all the baby steps in preparing to get it right. We all learn in our own ways. Me well I bet I spent most of my time getting back up as a child. At the age of around thirteen I got my confidence. My confidence built on the fact that I was going to be spending most of my time getting back up. Taking the first step is the easy part in my way of doing things.

My last thought before putting this post to bed is why? Why baby steps? Who knows it could go all the way back to my conception. Conceived at a stumble in my mother and fathers youth.

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No luck getting close enough to shoot Dragonfly faces with the macro lens yet. These images shot with Canon 7d handheld with Sigma 150-500 at 500mm, 1/800sec, ISO 320 in Manual mode and manually focused the optical stabilization turned off.

Our first crop of Buckwheat is beginning to go to seed. Still a lot of insects working the blooms. There are many of these white faced bee fly looking critters.

The smaller butterflies are in abundance. I got a close up of this Least Skipper. Along with the Silver Spotted Skipper they are everywhere.

The pollinators are doing there thing. This tiny bee covered from head to toe working the buckwheat.

The swallows are zipping over the fields and ponds. Eating lots of mosquitoes I hope!

The Coneflowers are blooming in the front yard. The color in the center so pleasing to my eyes.

Everywhere I looked I spotted these tiny spiders yesterday. It was work to get the eyes in focus on these tiny critters.

It seemed like every patch of Daisies had one of these miniscule spiders with its front legs spread out.

We are getting another round of blooms of tiny daisy looking flowers. I am not sure if they are Asters or Philadelphia Fleabane. I enjoy them regardless of the proper name. These tiny spiders were on each patch of them also. Enjoy the sunshine and blossoming late spring this weekend.

While waiting on the Eagle chick to show itself I kept hearing the jungle sound of Pileated Woodpeckers calling. Then the pair flew overhead and landed on a pine tree. I finally got a decent shot of these large woodpeckers in good light. Patience often pays rewards other than the intended subject in nature photography. I can not share the sounds I hear while waiting in the woods, fields and pastures. The sounds of a wild turkey gobbling. The Red Headed and Pileated Woodpeckers calling and pounding on the trees was relaxing on this calm morn with no wind.

The cawing of the crows made me think of my father and how he would have enjoyed being there with me. Dad and I hunted crows when I was a knot headed youngin’. Which makes me think of riding with Dad in his old dump trucks as a kid. When ever we would stop somewhere folks would rub the top of my head. I guess my buzzcut had that soft fuzzy feel only the young are entitled too. This irritated the heck out of me. It seems like yesterday.