Hoodoos at Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park was the last of our Big 3 National Park circle.  This image includes some Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon.  The photo was taken from an overlook behind our cabin.

Zion National Park, Lower Emerald Pool

Michelle and I hiked up the Emerald Pools trail from Zion Lodge to the Lower Emerald Pool.  It was still early morning and the sun had just crested the peaks.  The sunlight was falling on a small waterfall at the pool.  I was able to find some shade to keep the sunlight out of my lens and get a good photo for the waterfall.

You Never Know Who Will Show Up For Supper

Tonight while Becky and I were eating supper two deer walked up in our back yard and began grazing on the tender grass.  They were there for a long time before I quietly left the table and got my camera.  I took a lot of photos through the window and door before bumping the glass twice and running them off.  They were out there for over 30 minutes before leaving.  Life is good on Fishpond Drain.

Egret Pond

There is a small pond near use where cattle egrets and wood storks are roosting during the day.  Here are a few of the images taken earlier in the week.

We Found Some Sunflowers

Short Tour of My Sister's Backyard

Becky and I spent a few days with my sister this week and she has the most amazing backyard. Here is a short tour.

From the Top of Kennesaw Mountain

View of the Downtown Atlanta Skyline from the top of Kennesaw Mountain.  Dobbins Air Force Base is in the foreground.

View of Stone Mountain from Kennesaw Mountain.

Becky and Jane taking a break at the top of Kennesaw Mountain.

Back Yard Deer

Becky and I were visiting my sister near Lost Mountain in NW Metro Atlanta this week and we were all sitting on her porch that overlooks her beautiful back yard when this doe exited the woods and began grazing in a utility easement.  This deer, or one very similar, had visited a couple of evenings earlier and no sooner had my sister said that sometimes you see deer out there and one stepped out of the woods.  That night I had no camera, but tonight I was able to capture a few shots before she became uncomfortable and stepped back into the woods. The photos below were shot with a different camera and lens.  It surprises me the difference in color between the two cameras.

Irrigation Sunset in Seminole County

For the past several days the humidity has been extremely low and it has been very dry causing a lot of dust in the atmosphere. This has resulted in some beautiful sunsets that Becky and I have admired from Lake Seminole. Today we decided to go on a photo excursion and what happens, the humidity returns and sky is not as beautiful as it has been for the past several days. But we were ready and headed out to see what we could find. We saw an interesting scene down Drake Farm Rd. (a dirt road) and headed out to investigate. An irrigation system was spraying water across the dirt road. As I began to stop the truck began to slide sideways toward the ditch. We stopped just short of the ditch and as I tried to back out we just continued to slide toward the ditch. I got out and Becky took the wheel after almost falling down when she stepped out. It was like walking on grease. I could not push the truck because my feet kept slipping out from under me. Finally I braced myself against the vertical side of the ditch and pushed the truck back away from the ditch as Becky backed up. About 50 yards of doing this and we were back on a firm surface. We continued on to find a good spot to photograph the sunset. We finally found this irrigation system in a peanut field on River Rd. near Fennell Rd. The pivot was extending very near the road and gave us a good angle to view the sunset though the pivot system.

Above are the images I took. All but the very bottom image are HDR images. I used a Canon 50D and except for the B&W images I used a Sigma wide angle lens. The two B&W images were shot using a Canon 70-200 telephoto lens. Just wish the cloud bank to the far west had not been there. Maybe another day.

White Pelicans over Lake Seminole

While sitting outside Becky noticed some birds circling overhead and thought they might be Wood Storks. I grabbed the binoculars and quickly identified them as White Pelicans. I was able to get the 400 mm lens attached to my camera in time enough to catch these White Pelicans "catching a thermal" before they moved on. The wonderful birds often make a stopover at Lake Seminole during their migration between South Florida and the Midwest.