Charging into the week ahead

This week will mostly be a rinse and repeat of the previous week. I had to make some quick adjustments had to find a back up ride for the early morning surgery on Thursday.

The problem with a February thaw is that it just as annoying as a large storm. Warm temps with snow melt cause creeks to rise and gravel road surfaces to thaw. At night it freezes and ice ruts form in the roads. 

The weather service calls for rains and some winds along with thaws and freezing. So it should be a rather fun week. In years past, I've enjoyed these quick thaws when the creek rose with a foamy snow melt. I won't be able to enjoy it much this time around.

The day before surgery, I decided to make a dark/light box with the wood blocks I had saved for kids to play with when visiting.

I'd been reading a site called Brick Central which had tips and tricks regarding photography and Lego characters.

I came up with this:

The red light is from an LED flashlight and an old red film filter that I got from my dad years ago to use in black and white photography. I tossed a piece of black material over blocks in back and eventually got this:

The Lego minifigure is Maisie, the big Dinosaur is called Blue, and the little one is called Beta. These details I got from the box. I guess they are characters from the movie Jurassic World which I have not seen.

I had so much fun with the lights, I tried another method.

I used a piece of blue paper--with a blueish colored filter over the lens-- and a blue balloon light hidden behind a rock to light up the Acorn Guy.
I added the mist afterwards. 

It was a very fun experiment in lighting and creativity.

Oh, and I ordered a Light Box as I was so impressed by some of Larry's photos of old toy cars he'd done in his new light box.
If I have to be stuck inside for many video and phone appointments, I may as well use my time challenging myself in learning new methods of photography.

Sunday night I went hiking in the moon light. Since my normal hiking pal couldn't go, I grabbed my camera and tripod and took off.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do.

The light from the moon was incredible.

That is a deer trail that is in the exact same spot over the snow, year after year. So I set the camera up in the road and decided to have some fun.

Coveralls and my Skunk hat. I even laid down in the snow. I may as well! The snow will be melting!

I walked down the road a ways and tried another multi shot. This didn't turn out so well and the images are sort of blurry, but it still was fun to do. At least you can see Skunky!

I topped of the evening with a star trail photo of the Big Dipper.

I was out for about an hour and walked a couple of miles [I saw no one at all, not even a coyote!].

And then headed back home by the light of the moon.

How's the eye doing? Great! I am looking forward to the second surgery. 

I think the hardest part of this process is adjusting to the changes in vision and for me having one strong clear eye and one very yuck eye. My weak eye gets very tired right now trying to keep up with the good one.

Night Walkers

I have a 'bucket list' of sorts for things I would like to photograph. One of them is the moon rise from Blackhawk Rock. 

Another is a photo of the moon reflecting on the beaver pond at KVR. On Friday evening, Olive wanted to know if we could go for a moon walk. She hadn't really ever been on a moonlit hike before.

I decided to take the Old 131 Trail and we arrived at KVR just after sunset. While we walked the wide blacktop trail the western sky was still light and the moon [Gibbous Moon] was rising to the east. 

The Hoot Owls were very talkative and we stopped a few times to listen to them. A raccoon ran across the trail in front of us. Olive was startled and I laughed. Of course there would be night critters. It is the way of the forest.

By the time we reached the beaver pond area the moonlight had taken over. 

Both of us just stopped in our tracks and gazed. It was brilliant and beautiful.

Gibbous Moon 

Here is a photo of the moon reflecting on the beaver pond. 

In my mind, I think there should be a way of shooting the moon so you can see the moon surface and see it properly exposed in the water also. 

I haven't worked that out yet.

But now I can think about it because I know how beautiful it is. 

I tried this last month at a another pond in KVR and it was a bit of a failure due to the heavy fog and the angle of the moon. I got Jupiter's reflection but the moon was like the shot above...blown out and hazy due to the fog.

September Gibbous Moon/Jupiter on the ponds
near the Visitor Center

At the Beaver pond, I turned around and decided to get a shot of the Kickapoo backwaters.

I used LiveComposite mode to catch a bit of star trails and let the camera do its work for 4 minutes. I didn't have a lot of extra time to experiment like I normally do. Olive had a time she wanted to head back home.

This turned out pretty neat and since I was happy enough with it, 

we turned around and headed back.

We were back home by 9PM which fit her schedule just perfectly.

Sunday night I met another friend and her children who wanted to see the full moon on the river and by the ponds near the Visitor Center.

We watched the moon come over the top of the trees and then shine down on the pond.

We took  the grass trail around the other ponds and the bird observation point and then walked to bridge 18. It was a short walk. The kids -- being kids had left home arguing with mom about what to wear to stay warm.

The daughter got really cold and since she was all hunched up inside her fleece jacket looking miserable, I just snapped a shot of the full moon and we headed to the vehicles.

You cannot force a teenager to enjoy themselves if their heart isn't in it. The younger one was more interested in the on/off switch of the flashlight. Mom was frustrated because she wanted the kids to enjoy themselves.

I actually think they did as there were a lot of wows said and we had fun trying to identify the north star. The teen pointed to Jupiter and said it was the north star.

I hugged her and laughed. "I'm not getting lost in the woods at night with you!"

We all laughed. I picked up the youngest one and made to throw him in the pond when he was arguing with mom about a shower. "After getting slimed in the pond, you WILL want to get a shower!"

More laughter.

We wrapped it up and said goodbyes in the parking lot.

I'd told hubby that I'd be back home around 9 so I left.

BUT...

I want to go back tonight without distractions just before sundown and explore ...

Besides, the geese coming in last night were pretty cool. This shot from the parking lot.

[Not a very good shot, but I liked it!]

I know my son thinks I am annoying when I hiked with him and had my camera along. -- Roll of the eyes -- indeed I was on that trip.

Recently I've just put my camera away while hiking with friends. They don't really want to stop and see me take photos. 

And now I realize that unless I am with another photographer. Photography is a very solo sport. 

That is okay. I can live with that. Charlie is always patient with me anyway. If I take too long in the woods, he gets busy by digging a hole nearby. I don't know why, but that keeps him busy and he rarely complains!

Tonight? I'm going solo. Sometimes it is just better that way.

Back to Tainter Land in the Moon light

I was prepared this morning. I woke up by accident at 2AM and decided not to get up.
I really did decide to sleep more.
That is until I looked out the window.

I knew that the weather was supposed to starkly change between Sunday evening and Monday evening. Cold, windy, and rain was forecast. Then a plunge back into December weather.
I wouldn't have a change at another full moon night for quite a while.
I also knew that the next moon shooting opportunities would not be until New Years almost.

I sighed. The moon won.
I heated up some coffee and checked the weather on my smart phone. 24 degrees and calm.
Hand warmers. Check.
Extra batteries. Check.
Flash light. Got it.
I used the remote to start the Subaru [dang I love that thing!].
Headlamp. Check.
Note to self, change batteries in the older headlamp.

I drove to Tainter Land. The moon was brilliant.

I finally got a good shot of the tree I wanted and decided to explore the other bridge.

And I was very happy that I did.

What a beautiful night in such an isolated area.

And my hands stayed....oh, so warm in the combination mitten gloves with hand warmers.

It was a wonderful morning.

Early to bed early to....what?

Rise?
I awoke at 3:30, that is in the AM. Morris woke up too and followed me into the kitchen. I checked the time and then looked out the window. The moon was not quite full but it was brilliant out.
I let Mr. Morris out and stepped onto the porch.

I decided to go back to bed.
As I laid down I thought about my drive through Tainter Hollow the day before while running some errands.

Lucky me, I'd seen an eagle perched just above Tainter Creek.
He/she stayed there long enough for me to take out my zoom lens and swap it out for the one I had on the Olympus camera.

I stopped at Tainter Bridge and admired the tree and its reflection. I thought it would make a nice subject for the black and white challenge I'd accepted.

As I tried to go back to sleep I wondered how things would look in the moonlight at Tainter Bridge. Could I get a shot of the same tree and the water? Would the moonlight wash out the sky?

The more I tried not to think about it, the more I thought about it.
Finally I got up and warmed up a cup of coffee.
I was going to go to Tainter Land.

There is a challenge to shooting in the dark. But the bigger challenge was to be able to take some shots while the moon still shone into the valley. The valley is very steep.
I got there at 4AM and set up as quickly as I could.
Finding the right spot was not too hard. I've photographed this same spot over the years during the daylight and sort of knew where I should put the tripod.

The next challenge was the cold. The temperature gauge on the Subaru said it was 28 degrees in the bottom. It had been 34 on the ridge. And my fingers felt the cold. Those fingers that had somehow aged on me and had osteoarthritis in them.
Note to self. Next time, bring hot hand packs!

As the moon began to sink towards the trees on the ridge, I pulled out my flashlight and took another shot...in the night.
I wondered if my light would be enough to help lighten the tree trunk as it fell into darkness.

It did.

And suddenly.
The lights went out and the valley which was bathed in moonlight was dark.

I stuck my hands in my pockets to warm them up and listened to the barred owl and the stream.

My moonlight excursion at the bridge had lasted all of 12 minutes.
I got back in the 'Ru and started it up to thaw out.

You know what? The moon is out again tonight. Moonrise tonight is supposed to be the Super Moon of 2017.

I'm going to pack some hand warmers and those hunting mitts in my bag.

I guess a day nap will be in order.
I hope the owl sings to me again.

While you were asleep

Insomnia is a wonderful thing to have.
Sometimes.

I woke up for about the ... well let's just say I woke up and since I stop counting the times I wake up at night and only count the times that I actually sleep more than 4 hours in a row, I just got up.

The moonlight was brilliant and the clouds had disappeared while I was sleeping. I quickly got dressed and tapped the smartphone to see what time it was. 3 AM!
Well. Still, the moon was out and the night outside looked like a black and photo.

I swiped my little magic phone and took a peek at the weather. Cold, clear, and a north west wind of 10 mph, with a wind chill of -7. Ouch. That was pretty cold.

But the moon light was so brilliant!
I warmed up a cup of coffee from yesterday morning and gathered a few items. My sturdy tripod, extra camera body, and a hand warmer which I broke open and stuffed in a pocket.
I hit the remote start on the Subaru and slid my Nikon with the nifty 50 into the bag, just in case.

I was going to experiment with the Olympus again and had hoped to have another moon lit night.

I pulled on a pair of my polertec fleece PJ bottoms to go over my lightweight long johns.
A fleece hoody went on top. Gloves, warm hat, the fox one with the ears flaps would do nicely.
My trusty coveralls and insulated boots.

I grabbed my headlamp and stuck it on. It is very useful in helping the camera to find something to focus on and it leaves my hands free while I am monkeying around with the settings.

I softly opened the door and stepped outside. The tail lights of the 'Ru greeted me as well as the silver glow of the moon.
I was awake and the rest of the world was not.
[Well unless they were working the midnight shift somewhere]

I really had wanted to go out across the field and find a nice tree to use in a photo, but the temperatures were pretty cold and I wanted to be able to get back into a warm car.
The other night when I was out with Lauren it had been much warmer and only a whisper of the wind. That had still made the wide open very cold.

I drove up to my 'sunrise' spot and thought a photo of my neighbor's cattle gates and fence would make a nice moonlit shot.

Eeeks! In my hurry I'd forgotten to turn off my headlamp when I pressed the shutter. You can see the eerie blueish light from the LED headlamp.

I decided to do it again.

Much better!
However the moon light was so strong that you can see my shadow next to the post's shadow.

Here is a similar shot at sunrise in November.

By the time I waited for the second shot, the cold brisk air was getting to me. As the camera was 'thinking' or developing its shot, I moved into the car and started it up.
The cold felt brutal on my bare hands. 

I didn't have a good isolated tree to focus on anywhere on the ridge so I decided to see if I had enough moonlight to take a shot in the valley on the bridge. It was closer to 4 AM now and if I didn't take the chance down there, there would be some stray vehicles.

I parked and walked back to the bridge. I set the camera up and realized that the only gas station within 15 miles of any direction would 'pollute' the scene with its light. However since the moon was dropping behind the hill in back of me, I thought I'd give it a go.

It turned out okay, but I should have thought out the whole shot better. I should have come here first while the moon was still up behind me.

I took another shot in the other direction and had a difficult time getting a focus.
I should have had a different shot here too, but I was trying to work quickly.

However the yard light gave off an eerie green glow, the moon was still bright just behind the trees and the creek reflected a lot of light.

I guess if you don't try things and make mistakes you won't be prepared for the next time.

I took my frozen hands and placed them on the heater vents. I felt around in the camera bag for the hand warmer. I couldn't find it. Frustrated and thinking I forgot it, I moved on down to the next bridge.

I was chasing the moon. And the moon was beating me.
I tried another water shot but it didn't work. I knew I should have pointed the camera west up the gravel road that had a faint glow from the light, but didn't. My camera's battery light came on blinking orange.

I'd killed it.
Thankful that I had remembered to bring another one, I hopped back in the car and turned it on, letting the heat blast me while I changed batteries and carefully put things in their place. 

It was time to go back to the ridge and see if I could summon up another good shot.

I swapped to the long lens and hoped I would get the moon as it set.

The light was fading very quickly now.
I turned the tripod south and did a Hail Mary shot.

I was shivering. I was pretty sure that nothing would show up so I left my light on and shined the gravel road.

Well, as it turns out, I got a midnight blue sky, trees, star trails and some light pollution as well as the gravel road.
Nothing to write home about or brag about, but it was a very important lesson in night shooting.

I looked to the east. It was now 4:45. Twilight would be in about 45 minutes. The moon dropped below the horizon in a large lopsided ball of orange.
I shivered. My hands ached.
I got in the car and thought about waiting for sunrise.

And then I thought about how nice a cup of coffee would be.

I started up, cranked up the heat and headed for home.

What will this night bring?
More cold for sure, it is supposed to be only 7 degrees.

But if the sky clears.
Well, that remains to be seen.

Oh yes, when I got home and took off my coveralls, I found the hand warmer. It sure felt nice in my hands. I smiled and clutched it while I gathered things for morning coffee.

I watched the day begin from the kitchen table while sipping a hot cup of coffee, still in my PJ bottoms.

I mulled a few things over in my head. 
I wanted to do it again.

I was hooked.

Treasures found while Night Hiking

We hadn't gone in a while so I texted my friend and asked if she were up to a night hike.

She replied that yes she was very ready for a night adventure, "Was the regular time good?"

We started out through the summer pasture and dove down off the point. I lost the trail a few time and had to back track a few times. It was easier in the snow at night for some reason.

When we got to the valley we crossed the creek and ended up at the crossing. We were amazed at how much damage had been done by the recent heavy downpours we'd had. The snowmobile culvert was nearly washed away again.

Lauren spotted something in the grass and we bent down. A golf ball! I laughed as she picked it up. It had been at least 10 years since the Peterson's had played 'Pasture Pool' in this area. Our first treasure of the night.

I thought we should head out to the ridge above the 'ice' cave, but at the last second I headed down into the creek and we forged our way across it and into the old camp ground. 
Lauren said she was happy that she'd worn her rubber chore boots.
I was trying out a pair of knee high chore boots and agreed. I hadn't planned on dragging her through the creek.

I thought we'd search for Skunk Cabbage alongside a certain section of the creek. That was a bust. I was hoping to see some.

We got to the big spring and I explained to her that I thought 'those little plants were water cress' and ... I pointed ... those little plants would be the first yellow flowers in the valley. Marsh Marigolds.

I searched around with my headlamp and lo and behold! We found skunk cabbage! I said that I'd take a night shot of it when we came back.

Little did I know, we wouldn't be coming back the same way.

I was able to find an old cow/deer trail that took us right down into the eastern 'Ravine' or the huge dry run that had a tiny spring up towards the middle. 
It was the magical place of blue, green, and pink ice a few years ago.

We started our upward climb over huge boulders and rocks.  We did find ice. Not much, but there must have been quite a bit to have survived all of this warm wet weather.

We climbed onward.
We found the first little pond.

"Hold on a second," I told Lauren, "this is a little pond of spring water. Look how clear it is!"

Lauren laughed and said that if I hadn't pointed it out she may have stepped into it.

If you look carefully at the picture you can see my headlamp causes the floating leaves to cast a shadow on the leaves at the bottom of the small pond.

I had Lauren sit on a rock above the pond. I wanted a photo of her boots.

What can I say, ... she can't sit still either! However, see the reflection of her boot in the water?

We were like little kids. We laughed.

I know any lurking night creatures had probably fled as we climbed the tumbled boulders and stones higher into the steep ravine. We made little jokes and comments. 

We stopped at the 'step rocks'. I told her I really had no idea what to call them but that. The rocks were in layers like little steps.


I took a photo of the green algae in that little pond.

I tried a shot of the mini water falls above it. It turned out awful with my headlamp.
We turned off our lights and listened to the forest around us and the water running beneath our feet.

I got a sense of well being and and internal feeling of awe. Once our eyes adjusted to the night, we wondered why we had been using lights.
The moonlight was bright.

So I wondered if I could take a moonlit shot without any other light with the camera.
I set up the tripod and set the timer to LiveBulb. I carefully pressed the shutter and...

Imagine our surprise to see this after a 2 minute exposure.

We were both floored.

Since we were blocked from climbing further up past this point by downed trees and steep rock walls, we turned around and headed back towards the valley.

We excitedly talked about how amazing it was to capture a photo in the moonlight.

I asked Lauren if she'd like to climb the hillside to the camp road and cross the ridge above us or head back down into the valley.
We stood for a moment Yes? No? Maybe? Okay!

And we began the steep climb with assistance from our headlamps once again.

Part of the way up the hill I heard Lauren call out excitedly. "Bones! Skull?"
That stopped me in my tracks. We love finding bones. Perhaps she'd found an antler shed.

She'd found what appeared to be the bones of a coyote. I picked up the lower jaws and admired the clean sharp teeth. We searched up and down and around the hillside but found no skull.


We found the backbone, which still had the tail bones attached, and the bones that make up paws still held together by old sinew and hair. It is amazing how complex the canine foot is.

After quite a while we gave up. Lauren tried to get a photo of me holding up the jaws with her cell phone, but it didn't work very well. So I set up my camera and told her how to take the shot.

She did well didn't she?

Just as we were about to step out on the old hill road I spotted the prize and let out a shout of glee. There it was, the gleaming white coyote skull. And it had all of its teeth and no damage.

I did a mini happy dance and we continued out towards the cropland and into the moon and star light.

We walked and talked. I looked up at the moon and the stars and decided to try a 'selfie' in the moonlight. I had no idea what it may look like.
I set things up and was frustrated with the fact that there is no delay on LiveBulb. I used my light to focus the camera on Lauren and then hit the switch.

I think the most difficult part of this photo was the fact that we had to actually sit still for 2 minutes.

Look at my hands. They couldn't stay still.

We kept muttering to each other wondering if we'd be able to hear the shutter close.
A long eared owl serenaded us from somewhere to our west deep in the woods.

And...we heard the shutter close!

Another surprise!
See the coyote skull and the golf ball?

We were tickled and thought we'd try another spot. We picked a deadfurrow and used a tree for our focal point.

Well we weren't very good at staying still this time. But you can see the homestead clear as day behind us. The old silo still stands and you can barely see the roof of the cabin between the tree and I at our hip.

The slight red in the sky are from the lights of Readstown. And you can see star trails above us from the long exposure.

We were like two kids in a candy store. Well, I was probably more tickled. I've always wanted to try night 'shooting' but it is a lot nicer to have a friend along. I've hesitated about doing it alone.

We walked moved closer to the woods to get out of the cold light winds. I back tracked and asked Lauren if she wanted to see PeeWee's Hole.

It is a hole in the ground that leads to an underground cave. At one time the fellas whose father settled the land had ladders and would climb down into the cave.
I showed Lauren and flashed my headlamp down into it. Sadly the fella that lived in the cabin had been using the 'cave' or hole to dump his trash. However there was still a trail up the steep side. It looked like raccoons were using the hole.

Here I was, walking with a great pal and friend in nearly the middle of the night listening to the owl calling...and my hound Dixie barking at the moon off in the distance.
And I couldn't think of when I'd had so much fun.

Well, except for the last time I went hiking with friends.

We came down our road and I just had to take a shot.

The clouds were moving in fast and we'd soon lose most of the moonlight.

So we set up one more shot.

While not a stellar shot, it does sum up our Night Hiking quite well.

Hmmm. I thought Lauren was taller than me!
We faced towards home and listened to the owl once more and listened for the soft click of the shutter.

And then our adventure was over.
I took the skull and set it on the porch with its jaws and the golf ball.

I hope the sky clears tonight.