Air BnB um, not...

Another Friday night out.

I set up camp even though it was hot. The 'Hickory Grove' always seems to have a faint breeze and the shade is delightful. 

Some thoughtful pup placed a bone on our bed just in case I might feel the need to chew in the middle of the night. Or perhaps she thought it would clean my teeth and brush my gums.

Of course we had a tiny little fire. That was how we had to camp, right?

The old 4 wheeler and the garden cart goes with us, it carries all of the stuff we need including the dogs. I could carry it all back to the grove, but this saves me trips.

As soon as darkness started to fall, I failed all the things I was going to do. Like read, contemplate nature, and the meaning of life. I had a little book light, I brought my tripod so I could 'shoot' the Milky Way and lightening bugs...however...
 

I didn't even make it to full dark. I'd had a full day of doing yard work and a great workout at the gym. 

In short, I zonked out as the evening slipped by.

I woke up much later when I heard a deer whistling at something close by. Then a Barn Owl called in the distance. That is a call that will raise the hair on the back of your neck. It sounds like a murderous screech.

Sometime later and much closer, 'Who Cooks for You' became the song from a Barred Owl. Two of them sang for a little while and as their songs faded, the coyotes began their hunt and night music.

Charlie and Hannah sighed and snuggled a bit closer. I listened to the night sounds and smiled inside. I wasn't getting a great night's sleep, but I was listening to the living forest around us. The dogs perked up when a tiny hickory nut plunked on the tent top. 

Eventually I fell back asleep to awaken to Hannah slowly doing the otter crawl up towards my face. I opened my eyes to dim light and her nose. Her eyes stared into mine. She tilted her head one way and another as if to see if I were alive ... or maybe she was just being adorable.

I pulled back the door flap and was surprised by faint light and a meadow of thick fog. I pulled on my pants and turned the collar light on Hannah. When I pulled back the flap two little black dogs jetted outside. --- oh, well maybe they just had to go pee!

I think they like camping as much as I do. 

Everything was soaking wet. I walked out to the meadow with the pups and trotted back into the tent for the camera.

Layers of color, layers of fog. Blue hour? Fog hour? 

I took a few exposures with my supervisors watching me. Hannah still had her collar light on. Soon, the pair was watching for rabbits and giving chase. It's what dogs do and I let them go for it.

The rabbits were never in danger. 

The photo above is part of the revamped Meadow that my Grand daughter dubbed the Merry Meadow. The name has stuck. I've been mowing it every other week so we can take multiple daily walks without the grasses and weeds being above the dog's heads. 

Yes, the gals get in there when we are not using the Meadow. They seem to like the forested area much better.

Go figure.

Waning Crescent Moon over the neighbor's meadow.

I was torn between just looking and figuring out how to photograph the scene. My two canine cohorts were busy with exploring the grass and doing their business. 

Good pups.

Below is the scene from the tent. 
Of course it was humid. I mean hu--mid! So damp that icky slugs had climbed the outer walls of the tent to get to dryer ground. 

[gross!!!!!!] 
Hannah tried tasting one and immediately shook her head and spat it out.

😝😧---> Pups!

I was in coffee deficit so we packed up the 4 wheeler and headed back to the house. Hannah ran alongside the 4 wheeler. Charlie insisted on riding shotgun in my lap.

Below: our tent and 'camp' is in that grove of trees that is fogged in.

My home away from home.

I love this place. I am at peace here.

The decision to have this area cleared with a Forest Mulcher may have been the best decision I've ever made this year.

Kinda flopped

 The smoke from the fires kept me from seeing the Milky Way and the Northern Lights. But it sure didn't keep me from trying.

I set my alarm for 1:30am and got up and dragged my sorry butt out of bed and walked to the Meadow. I had a little camp chair I took with me and set things up. 

Not much happened in the skies. So I decided to play with my headlamp to see if I could do some experimental light painting on the Hickory tree in the Meadow.

The sky was lit up with very faint colors but it was really just brown-ish from the smoke. Interestingly enough, it was very cool out and there was no evidence of fireflies anywhere.

By 3AM I gave up on the lights but was happy to faintly see the Big Dipper. So I took this last shot and decided to head inside. I got a wee Star Trail as a result. The smoke completely obliterated where the Milky Way was supposed to appear.

I must have bumped the tripod a bit when I walked away. I can see it in the photo but I kept it anyway.

So this is what the skies really looked like above 👆. However, just for fun I did something pretty awful and fun.

Same photo as the one in the Meadow with the orangish-brownish sky.
I cheated with adding a sky swap.
So of course I would title these as what I wish I had seen. However, it sadly was not true.

The scary part it the ease at which I was able to change the photo. 

Okay. Well onto a couple of other Meadow photos that are not faked. I was able to get out just before sunrise and take these as the other half was up on this morning at 4am and had eaten his breakfast and had coffee so I could get out and enjoy a few morning moments in the Meadow.

We had a very busy week last week and even busier weekend with lots of comings and goings.  

The horse we called Fifteen went to her new family where she will get tons of attention and love. 

I was surprised, I haltered her up, and led her to their tiny trailer where she loaded like a pro. To her credit, she is smart but I don't have the time for her. The last time she had loaded into a trailer was the day she came home to us 6 years ago.

The mule gals absolutely had a fit after she left. But after 24 hours, they quieted down as if nothing in their lives had changed.

Do you wanna go out for coffee?

 ~~ and see an incredible sunrise?

Olive replied ~~ Coffee? Sunrise? I'm down with that!

I picked her up at 4 am and drove  through thick fog.  I parked on a dead end gravel road.

We snapped on our headlamps and I led the way. We chatted and hiked up and up and up the steep trail. When we got to another section, I turned through some trees. I found the footpath and said to Olive, "there you go, we just did the easy part."

She laughed.

15 minutes later, the sky had a predawn glow to it and we walked out on the bluff.

Behind me, Olive gasped. 

Yes. I do too, each time I go to this place.

You can't help it.

The sun began to come over the horizon and we watched a sun pillar. It remained in the sky for a long time.

And..

we sat and had coffee and just listened to the Barred Owls calling and the birds awakening in the foggy forest below us.

We spent about an hour just watching the fog move and reflect the currents of air over the river and through the forests.

And here is a shot of the two of us...yeah, I look like a dork. But who cares???

I feel very odd without my signature baseball cap...

We parked at 900 feet according to the topo map. We had coffee at 1200 feet.

I asked Olive if it was worth getting up at that time.

Her answer: Totally.

Beware if I ever ask you to go 'out' for coffee to watch a sunrise!

We were back home before anyone in either of our households were awake!

Beautiful Morning....June 1st

I woke up early which is normal for me in the summer. As soon as my sleeping body senses a light change, I am up.

Charlie followed me around the house and demanded breakfast as I as started making my morning decaf coffee. 

I walked outside with him and looked to our east. It was still pretty dark, however the sky looked amazing.

I grabbed a to go cup and my keys. Charlie wasn't letting me go without him. There was a time when he would run and hide any time I grabbed the keys. Now? He is a car ride nut case.

We headed up to the spot where two of our gravel roads intersect.

I've photographed this ridge for nearly 10 years at least so I generally know where I want to go for a shot. I let the folks in the new house on the corner know that I parked or walked up to the intersection often in the middle of the night or predawn.

They have no issue with that.

Charlie got out of the car and explored the crops while I watched the land start to appear.

The sky just kept me amazed. 

I kept trying out different shots and some were up to 10 seconds long. The clouds were barely moving. 

Then for the last shot, I decided to go wild or go home....

I don't normally do HDR but sometimes it can be fun.

Happy June 1st. Looks like a beautiful weather day!

Oh Deer and other things

When I got up I didn't think the sunrise would be much of a big deal. I walked out to the summer pasture and everything looked rather hazy and bleh.

I thought perhaps the ridge might offer something different so I walked up the steep hill. When I reached the spot where I come out of a wooded area, I saw a herd of deer in the cornfield.

The group yanked their heads up so I stood stock still.

I crept up to the ditch so I could stay somewhat hidden from them. I sat in the ditch and decided to just watch and see if I could catch them in the dim light.

The sky kept brightening and I kept shooting trying to get the deer to appear on the horizon.

 Yesterday we saw a bluebird that perched on a fenced post. 

I saw a swan flying overhead while I was driving to drop off my tax paperwork.

And in the afternoon Charlie and I spotted a Robin that I could photograph. I'd only heard them for the past few days.

I had one more awesome cool discovery. The boxelder tree sap was running like crazy!

I managed to get a shot of the sap dripping from the ends of the branches. Look at the droplets, they are reflecting the trees and sunlight to the west of the trees.

Today is going to be warm and sunny. All my chores are done and I am thinking....

Perhaps I can sneak out and go look for some Sandhill Cranes or at least some Geese to watch.

The day started out amazing. I want to keep that going forward.

Mornings

I used to hate getting up in the morning. I used to have trouble sleeping from the rotating and the odd shifts I used to work.

It took me years to get into a good sleep habit. Well, I think it is a good sleep habit. Now I go to bed about the same time each night and wake up at 5AM with no alarm clock.

I'm getting used to the chilly mornings also. My insulated coveralls are generally right next to the porch door along with my hat and gloves. What easier way to take a sunrise walk than to have those items laid out right next to the door?

Below, the moon and the western sky above our cottage. You can see Mica the grey elderly mule standing and watching to see if I head to the shed.

I was surprised yesterday morning by the intense colors that came through the forest while Charlie and I walked up the driveway. It was like the ridge was on fire!

The intensity of the 'red' color was incredible. The bark on the trees along the western edge of the road were literally red colored. I took photos, but the images turned out so red and bizarre, I didn't save them.

This morning's sky was much more subtle and I had fun trying to place that one lone corn stalk properly in the photo. It took me several tries. Charlie was happy to wander the corn field and seek out deer and other critter smells.

I like this time of day. I have it to myself. There are no phone calls, no doctor appointments, or requests from the other half. 

It is my selfish time to sip coffee or take a walk or simply watch the day start. 

I do love the subtle colors of dawn too. I think sometimes too many people concentrate on the vivid dawns and sunsets, and let the subtle and gentle colors go unnoticed.

Charlie thinks mornings are for sniffing and doing dog business. He gave me a grumpy look once I headed back towards home. On the way to the ridge he ran ahead of me. 
On the way home he dragged his feet and walked behind me.

I get it Charlie, I like the mornings too!

Good Morning

The weather app said dense fog, but I saw the hazy moon and decided to walk out to the cropland on the ridge to try and get some pre dawn photos. Maybe I'd get lucky.

This was a bit of a struggle for me. There were so many things to look at and photograph, I could have stayed all morning. I wanted to stay until the sun came over the horizon, but duties back home sometimes dictate my time.

The walk to this part of the ridge is only a half mile. The cropland is the only part of the area this is not crowded by wild forest. I say wild, because well...it is! 

Not only did I get a look at the predawn light bouncing off the snow and tracks, I got valley fog!

Don't laugh but I did a little happy dance in the snow and then started to shoot. Since these conditions don't come around often I did a lot of guessing. 

I was enamored by the blue tint and reflections in the snow. Once on a discussion board for learning photography, I was told that snow always had to be white, no exceptions. Of course I argued about it. 
Well, since it was about 12 degrees out, I felt fine with the cold blue tint on the snow.

Anyway. My whole purpose of walking to this part of the ridge was to see that one lonely tree in the dip. My intention was to hike to the tree and shoot with the tree against the sky.

Pfft. I nixed that idea. First shot is with a 12mm lens wide open. The second shot is with the all powerful zoom as is the third shot. I had fun, I enjoyed it.  

I really struggled with the white balance and the colors bouncing off the snow. I am not afraid to admit it. 

I may try another trip down towards that tree a bit later this year. I still think it would be neat to get a solitary tree against a sunrise.

I headed back home.

Time to make the coffee and get my morning duties taken care of.  I could have happily stayed out for most of the morning. Wait, didn't I already say that?

I got hubby situated and then took Charlie out for a look see. Charlie was into finding rabbit pellets and deer pellets. We were both content.

I'm not sure, but I think this last one ended up as my favorite because I tried something very different.

Shoot at the sun with the trunk blocking it. The frost was coming down like a snowfall. 

It was more glittery in person.

So.

Good morning.