progression of landing...

the thrill of victory...  success with making the final turn in the air - approaching an imaginary landing strip - spreading wings... skimming over the water to a beautiful stop - plopping gracefully into the little lake... 

all done very quickly - after much practice, i'm sure - yet to my eye - appears technically perfect for a duck...  sometimes that "plopping" really is a plop as they forget to put the brakes on fast enough - almost going head over webbed feet into the water!  those times are fairly rare, though... 

usually what i'm privy to - is a gorgeous dance of fluid motion which is stunning, because it's nature at its best - putting on a show for me to enjoy - free to watch and observe - to marvel and wonder at how they do it - to clap my hands at their success; encourage their moments in the sun... 

and when they lighting is working with me - exceptional in its brilliance - i can capture those moments of gracefulness on film  - playing with pastel loveliness as if i were an artist with a brush painting on canvas...  it fills me with unending joy...

happy day.....

duck formation...

...up in the sky

yes - yes, it is... ducks - not birds - not geese...

ducks, my friends! how often do we see this, i ask...

typically, it is geese in formation - i see flying through the air - circling around my little lake - looking to land... or perhaps pigeons - maybe starlings... but ducks? so rare to see them coming in, in a group, let alone couples! - usually i tend to see them straggling in one-by-one - on their own - as if they're oh, so independent...

  so it was that i was doing a 2-step, quick dance in the snow - watching them high in the blue sky - their bodies appearing almost white through my lens...

so then i questioned - but they circled twice - i caught them the entire way - holding my breath - then letting it out in tiny exclamations of joy... as they landed 2-footed in the snow on the lake -

what unusual rareness - catching ducks in flight, then making their tour of landing prowess - what joy...


happy day.....

family portrait...

...of ducks
.
.
.
.

who couldn't quite get their act together -

 

they dillied - they dallied...

 

they tarried around the little lake - they couldn't decide if they wanted to be in the water - or should they be on the ice... is it really worth it to have this portrait done...  there was a whole lotta quackin' happenin'... 'til they got 'rounded up - and waddled half in, half out - so it appears that they're standing on water... clever duckies - when really there's a layer of ice underneath 'em...

 

in the end - they managed to group around together - the way most families do in these situations - most dislike having their portraits taken (i know this may be a gross generalization) - it's a fuss, a bother - who said it has to be done anyway - is it really necessary... do we have to get dressed up - where's aunt betty... ho-hum...

 

personally, i believe it's important to capture family time on film - kiddos grow up too fast - precious moments you forget but would like to remember - it's a way to look back - reflect - laugh over - bond together...  share the what dids, what might have beens, what could bes in life - and ultimately, make for way more than...

 

one

 

happy day.....

ducklings...

...are a rare sight around here

according to a photographer friend of mine - who also frequents the little lake i do... he hasn't seen ducklings there in almost 10 years.  really?  how exciting then when i arrived the other morning - all caught up in the goslings entering their 'tween phase already... when he stated he'd spotted ducklings the night before... "cool beans," i replied... 'cuz i've never seen baby ducks before.  well, maybe in a zoo - but certainly not in the wild - ever!  so this would be a first... but he mentioned that mama duck seemed rather hesitant to parade her babies about - unlike our geese friends have been...  off he sauntered to the other side of the lake to check things out - and within short order, i could see him giving me the high sign... sure enough as i watched - i noticed mama duck come swimming out, while behind there appeared tiny bobbing things i assumed were her babies... oh boy, oh boy... i set off on the trail for the other side of the lake.

when i got there... this is what greeted me...

a lone duckling - momentarily separated from mama and siblings... bobbing in the water - the cutest little creature ever...

the siblings then joined him - coming up from the rear... always good to know someone's got your back!

mama then corralled them together... trying to keep them in line, i'm sure... but ya know - kiddos will be kiddos... and soon they were transfixed by the lady with the black box who was trying to sweet talk them into posing for pictures...

i was fascinated by these tiny bundles... barely visible above the water, almost blending in - between the color of their downy feathers and the sun reflecting off the water...  additionally, there was no sign of papa being helpful - all the male ducks were keeping their distance out in the very middle of the lake... huddled up in a circle, acting somewhat delinquent.  unlike goose daddies who are very hands-on with fathering techniques, duck dads appear very aloof and uncaring - it's interesting behavior to observe and not one i claim to understand...

while i pondered these things... mama duck decided she'd tolerated human interaction long enough - gathering her crew together once more into an obedient line, herding them away...

perhaps i'll be able to get a 'tween duckling photo down the road... i wonder if they grow as fast as the goslings do...

happy day.....

snap shots...

...for fun

remember old polaroids?  you'd take the picture, peel off the front - then have to wait for the shot to appear?  and wait... still waiting... finally, to see whether you took a decent photo or not.  i found a cool processing feature in my editing toolbox... that makes your finished photo look like a polaroid... how cool is that?  of course, i needed to play around with it - just because...  not like i don't have better things to do with my time... but you all know how that goes!  the to-do list grows longer while i play. sigh... and so it goes...

go have some fun... play... harken back to the old days - like mama said "it'll come back around again..."  seems like mama is usually more right - than she is wrong...

happy day.....

unusual colors...

nature is awesome - surprising, too...

a recent visit to my little lake - held a welcome treat, actually 2...

a caramel colored duck -

... which i've never seen before  - i've seen a white duck there - and of course, the typical mallards... but this softly striped, beige caramel was a new addition - very pretty... but kept distance in the water.

then, i spotted a black squirrel -

... yes, black!  typically i've only seen them in the high country - up in the mountains... and then in groups of at least 3.  this was just the one - all alone - yet very friendly... leaping around in the tree branches - frolicking playfully with me...  he was a little bundle of black - kind of reminded me of a chubby black bear...  such fun!

i love it when the day brings about unexpected joys like this... when you least think something extraordinary is going to happen - you're just going about the day - pleased at least the sun is shining... believing that is enough.  having had the camera now for such a time - has brought about a greater awareness of my surroundings - to look for opportunities as this - to keep my eyes open - be on the lookout so i don't miss what might be right in front of me.  i am grateful for what i am able to see - not taking it lightly - trying to capture it... record it - to remember, then share the blessing.  for that is...

a

happy day.....

spring is on the way

there are signs of spring everywhere...  this is new growth already occurring on the rose bush in the backyard:

it's twins on the christmas cactus... apparently confusion reigns in its mind regarding what season to bloom.  doesn't matter to me - i'm fine with it producing flowers year-round if it wants to...

ducks are holding lessons on proper landing techniques... as well as free-winged water skiing... next classes will be held at 11:00 a.m. - don't be late:

squirrels are gathering for the neighborhood coffee klatch.  i've seen groups of 5 and 6 hanging out in trees... chattering away non-stop - getting caught up from winter goings-on:

and soon all kinds of outdoor flowers will be in full-blown blossoming... for everyone to enjoy:

happy day.....

portraits...

it's a wonderful thing - to be able to capture the life of nature in its natural state - in the air... on the ground... in trees... on the water - it's all very special and treasured...

ignore my chin hairs

...of a crow

rock dove in flight

honk, honk

 

soaring over water



unidentified birdie hanging in branches



deer on the rocks



soft and dreamy goose



skimming the ice

living in a state where such wildlife is abundant to enjoy every day - and share the planet... is a true blessing.  i am always amazed and of course, carry on conversations with them as though they're my best friends... sometimes much to my advantage - as they allow me to get rather close obtaining remarkable photos.

happy day.....

new toys...

little kids aren't the only ones who get new toys at christmas time... big kids get them, too... i was the fortunate recipient of a telephoto lens for my camera... it made me do the happy skippy dance of joy let me tell you!  this new lens allows me to bring in close those things in the distance - it so magnifies them, it's as though they're suddenly in my lap... totally amazing. 

with that capability, though, comes a steep learning curve with shooting pictures.  suddenly i'm finding it difficult to get shots in sharp focus - they appear in focus when i snap, but when i download... nada - so lots of them end up being throw aways.  yet i'm having an incredible amount of fun learning - practicing on the fine feathered and furry creatures in the area... trying to catch them in flight - in the air - landing - or simply on the ground.

not bad so far... i will continue to refine - practice - to make more perfect... it all leads to a...

happy day.....