Sunflower in the Setting Sun

I had to go back into work this evening, just before sunset to turn on the air conditioning at a school for a meeting that the principal did not give me any advance warning about (grrrr!)....and as I started to drive off, I found this lonely sunflower being lit by the setting sun. So I figured that I would make the best of an interrupted evening by snapping a photo. I only had my point and shoot with me in the truck; but it still came out okay.


Olympus Stylus 1010, 80 ISO, f4.3 at 1/80.




On a side note, it looks like we are being surrounded by hurricanes here in the southeast! Gustav is heading into the Gulf of Mexico and Hanna looks like she is heading toward the Atlantic coast. Could be another wet week next week! The image is the best guess for wind probability from the National Hurricane Center; but it makes it clear which way the two storms are most likely headed. Oh joy!

A bit of white on a gray day

The rain from Tropical Storm Fay continues to fall as bands of the storm pass. We get about 30 minutes of rain, then 30 minutes of wind, followed by the rain again. I am sure that the egret doesn't mind having his fishing hole filled again. The recent drought has made it tough for most all of the wading birds.


Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS lens, 200 ISO f5.6 at 1/500

A Monarch on a Zinnia

Sometimes the simplest of moments presents the most beautiful things.







Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS lens, 400 ISO f8 at 1/500

Watch Out!

Sure, he looks like he is friendly....but how much do you trust him? This ram is just waiting for you to turn your back on him!

Lake Juliette

We are back from Lake Juliette. I took my camper up on Thursday, as did Bonnie & Ron. On Friday, Susan & Garland, Terry & Rosemary, and Curt & Irene joined us for two more nights of fun. Bonnie, Ron, and I also brought our kayaks.

Jarrell Plantation

Have you ever thought about what it would have been like to live back before the Civil War? I spent part of the day on Saturday at Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site, where you can experience just such a thing. I snapped a few images that just put you into that frame of mind.

Basket, Scales, and Cheese Slicer: Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS lens, 200 ISO, f 13 at 5 seconds

Rocking Chair: Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm 1:4-5.6 IS lens, 200 ISO f6.3 at 1/8 sec

Red Admiral Butterfly

Someone emailed me to ask what is a red admiral. Well, here it is. I snapped these yesterday.


As you can see, the top of the wings has a very striking swash of orange with white spots at the tips.



The underside of the wings, below, shows a very different color pattern, that makes it appear to be two different butterflies.


Click on the images to see the details.



Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm1:4-5.6 IS lens, 200 ISO f5.6 at 1/500

A Family Outing for the Raccoons

This morning, I took a hike on the Opelofa Trail and River Trail at the Ocmulgee National Monument, a few miles from my house. The morning air was fairly comfortable, so other than a few annoying deer flies, the walk was nice. I spotted lots of birds, one deer, several monarch and red admiral butterflies, and this family of raccoons that were coming across the swamp. The mother and three youngsters were a bit muddy, but still fun to watch as they scampered about. Finally, she heard my camera as it snapped the photos and took off through the brush.

Canon EOS 30D, Canon EF-S 55-250mm1:4-5.6 IS lens, 200 ISO f5.6 at 1/500

Ready to Roll

As I was zipping from school to school today, I happened to go by the Bus Barn to fill up my work truck's gas tank and I noticed all 110 of our buses were parked in the lot. Tomorrow is the first day of school for the kids, and I just smiled a bit as I thought about the row after row of empty buses, and how quiet the looked today. So I grabbed my point-and-shoot and snapped the serene moment. Tomorrow will definitely be a different day!

The Great Fig War

Once again, I find myself in battle. This time, the enemy has yet to be identified. I am fairly certain that the enemy combatant is using hit and run tactics....or more probably, hit and fly tactics, early in the morning. Yes, it is that time of year when I am left to wonder.....

Who, or what, took a bite of my fig?

The Great Fig War continues.



On a side note, I have to apologize to any regular viewers of this blog. I work for the local school district and this past week, and the next two, are our busiest of the year. School started for the teachers last Thursday and the students return this Thursday. With the extra chaos that comes along with that, I just haven't had the time to spend on my blog or photographs. Maybe in a week or two, things will be back to normal.

Wishful Thinking

As the heat continues to bake the South, please excuse me if I indulge in a bit of wishful thinking with this photo of my house from a few winters back.

We have had only two days during the last month that it did not reach at least 90 degrees...and we still have all of August and September to get through!