It started slowly this morning. Just a tease of color showing above the tree line across the lake. By my third cup of coffee it was in it’s glory, which meant that I could stand in the backyard taking pictures. And that was a very good thing since I’m having the hardest time motivating myself to go out and drive for photos since I’ve gotten back home…
I can’t seem to look out my kitchen window without noticing butterflies zooming back and forth, demanding my attention. Always this same variety of butterfly, but lots of them. They look as if they are having fun out there. Me? I’ve been trying to tame the lawn and weeds, decidedly not fun… 
Father Fleming said Mass today. I was happy to see him since he’s been my favorite priest once I moved to Florida and started going to church again after many, many years. My part time job has caused me to vary which mass I went to each week, but I seemed to have a knack for catching Father Fleming’s mass, and it has always made me happy to see him. But I hadn’t seen him in a while, and then had been away on vacation, so when I saw him today I was struck with how frail he is, noticeably more frail than before, and I always worry as he climbs the few stairs to the alter. He is in his 80’s, and is soft spoken, you have to concentrate when he speaks. His sermons are always gentle and encouraging. He should preach to children. He pokes fun at himself, and says he was a bit of a devil as a boy, and he admits to having doubts here and there. I was feeling quite sad as I drove away, wondering how much longer we will have him with us, and turned the corner to discover black clouds ahead in the east, and a beautiful rainbow that took my breath away. I pulled onto a parking lot and got the camera out of the trunk and managed to take a few pictures before the heaven’s opened. Only when I saw the photos in the computer did I see the double rainbow. I hope that rainbow was for Father Fleming, he’s earned it…
You are not only going to have to indulge me a little with this post, but you’ll have to use your imagination also. There I was, just heading out with Ozzie to check the mail and something caught my eye. I see enough posts of birds and insects that when I saw this creature I knew instantly what it was, and that when I see posts about them people are quite excited to see them. So I was excited, but didn’t have a camera with me, or even the phone. I know Ozzie thinks I’m nuts when I suddenly make a mad dash into the house, but he’s used to me. Lately I’ve been less than successful with what I have thought to be my easy, and unbeatable, iPhone technique to catch butterflies. Lock your focus in on a flower about three feet from your camera, then chase the butterflies around shooting bursts. I get a LOT of photos that way, but usually some are usable. But this moth was as hard to capture as an actual hummingbird. He zoomed frantically around the flowers, his wings especially never stopped moving, and he liked to hide in the depths of the plumbago. At best these photos only prove that yes, I did see what I thought I saw. And you know what, most of the images of these things that I’ve seen online aren’t a lot sharper. So these are as good as it gets.
Of course I googled them and they appear in warm climates and like honeysuckle type flowers. Excuse me while I go check the honeysuckle growing on my neighbor’s shed…
…with the cranes. I have been seeing the crane family, now a family of three, around the neighborhood since I’ve been home. And they come back to the lake at night some of the time, but not always. But as I come and go I see them on lawns all around the area. They are more easily visible than last year’s family was. This morning I had to stop for iPhone photos because while it’s not unusual to see them, it is unusual to see them dancing!
The trouble with going out for a photo shoot with very talented photographers is that you capture the same scenes, but their photos look entirely different from mine. Camera? Settings? Post processing? All of the above is most likely the answer. You can’t fault the sunrise itself, it was fantastic. And Safety Harbor itself gives you an endless view. And the company was nice also…
