I doubt that any amount of editing would have been able to improve the quality of these photos. The movies they are taken from have been collecting dust for about 64 or so years. The person behind the camera had his/her own thumb featured prominently in some shots, and each stop to record only lasted a second or two. Trying to pause the film and take a picture with the phone at just the right moment was a challenge, and I would miss that split second opportunity time and time again.
But I hope you’ll indulge me this trip down memory lane because these pictures represent a favorite memory, and the only real vacation trip my family ever took. We drove in a caravan with several other families, and I remember it so fondly. I remember rafting in Ausable Chasm, seeing the colors of the rock walls rising up on each side of the river. I remember going to Fort Ticonderoga, and the ferry ride on Lake Champlain. But the memory I remember most is the pony ride at Frontier Town, and how mad as a hatter I was that they didn’t let me just ride that pony by myself. I was sure I knew all there was to know about horses. No, not only did they not let me just take off on my own, but they had my sister leading the pony. If a cowboy had been leading the horse I might have taken it better, or maybe not. I’m happy to say that it looked like I was having fun so I must have kept my annoyance to myself. Seeing a movie of exactly the memory I remember best was pretty amazing. What also stood out as I watched the movie was that I was amazed to see the actors galloping into town during the re-enactment of a bank robbery. The visitors were right there, milling around, and they just galloped those horses through the town. I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t fly these days! And apparently water boarding was a thing too. 
I’ve talked quite a few times about how much I cherish the memories I have from exactly this age. From the neighborhood I lived in then, and the people who made a lasting impression enough on me that I never actually let them go. And I’ve been so lucky to reconnect with them and to have them in my life again. And now to actually see that little kid that I was., the me before I let the world beat me into submission, so to speak. I liked that me, I’m glad to have her back…
Thanks for indulging me this trip down memory lane.
And it was a successful trip. Yes, one of the birds in question did show up and zoom into the hole in the tree and disappeared. Not one of us got a shot of that. The leader of the trip said that he felt that that was it, the event was over. But he had one trick up his sleeve. He used his phone to play the call of the red-cockaded woodpecker, rather quietly I thought, but it was enough to get this little guy to stick his head out of the nest to see what was going on.
Black-crowned night herons are usually hard to spot along the shore because they keep to the foliage. Not this guy though. Last year the tarot card reader told us that years ago she rescued an injured bird, and the word must have spread because birds come to her on their own. Sometimes for rescue, and apparently just to hang out.
After that we wandered the village a bit, enjoying the view. We planned to bundle up for this shoot, but there was no need to worry, it was a lovely night,
If you go don’t forget to look up!
I began to wonder if I was more worried about four legged predators or two legged predators. I wondered if it’s legal to carry mace in Florida? But the reality was the only creature I did startle on the path was a partridge, or maybe it was a wild turkey. It disappeared into the thick bush too quickly for a photo. And I walked some more and began to hear traffic noises.
We kidded that if our mutual friend Betty had been with us that she would have taken a million pictures already. So I took this one in her honor;
We didn’t seen another person, and only saw a deer off in the distance, but in the sand on the trail were tracks of lots of animals. Linda said that it must be like rush hour in the night with all the animal activity. We did see a rhino though, not a frequent sight in Florida.
Hogg pond was our destination, and we found some egrets gathered there. I suspect the beginnings of nesting activity. And there have been great flocks of birds in the air lately. Usually they are too high in the sky for decent photos, or the camera just isn’t set up for that capture. These birds were coming in to land however. Yes, this will be a booming place in the spring.
We had stopped for lunch at a very quaint hot dog shop in Floral City, and then hiked in the Perry Oldenberg wilderness area. But the jackpot happened as we finished the hike and were ready to leave. That’s when we saw the cows in the pasture next to the parking lot. I was looking to take photos like this when I was at my daughter’s house in PA over the summer, but somehow failed to get out and explore the rolling farmland for scenes like this. People ask what kind of photography I like best, but I think I like the surprises along the way that make it so interesting. And I’m normally out by myself for photos, but it was nice to be out with a friend…
I thought that all the cows with horns were bulls, but closer examination of my photos disproved that theory. Not this particular photo, but trust me…