And Along Came a Spider and...

As I sat wide awake at 4:45 am this morning, I decided to get out early and see what "critters" I might be able to shoot before it gets too light.  Unfortunately, its been awhile since I did the early morning thing, and as usually happens when you don't do something regularly, I forgot some of my gear needed when its dark out so my early morning stuff isn't worth showing.  But, the day wasn't a total loss. I saw my first egrets of the season, several hawks, and what was either a big dog or a wiley coyote making his way to his den.  The critter that mesmerized me most, though, was this spider.  I ended up at a marina along the Fox River and the guard rails in front of each dock were positioned so that the morning light would hit the spider webs and their owners with the bright warm sunshine we are experiencing this March.  Unbelievable number of spiders catching some rays.  Here's some shots of one of them.