After yesterday

The boy and I went to a pond in the area last night to goof around a bit.  One of those nights that after hearing the events in Oklahoma you just wanted to  spend a little quality time with some family.

Evilbear the 2nd???

One of my favorite pastimes during the summer months is to head over to a local airport after dinner and take pictures of the incoming planes, landing for the night.  My son Derek usually accompanies me, if for anything, to get an ice cream cone on the way home.  A few days earlier I had seen some airplanes pulling/towing gliders up into the sky to release them and let them float back down to earth.  Launching them into the sky was cool to see.  I had to believe seeing them land would be even cooler.  Our hope was to possibly see a glider or two come down.  Unfortunately, we didn't see any gliders, but we did see a few landings. This particular spot is situated behind a strip mall which is important because it makes the experience better.  You see, we are only about 15-20 yards from the strip mall, and about 200 yards from the landing strip.  Therefore, the planes that are about to land, come in pretty low where we are at- high enough to not hit anything, but low enough to touch down at the end/beginning of the runway.  You have to be quick on the draw with your camera since you don't see the plane nor can you hear it due to traffic in the area, so at  your first glimpse the plane is almost over you.  Trust me, it's kind of exciting.  But, my excitement for the night came when my son, after seeing me get hyped up, which he has seen numerous times before, asked if he could take some shots of the plane. (Cue saliva dripping down my chin.)  I, of course, had my 2nd camera with me and I walked, no, ran to the car, and set him up, gave him a quick lesson, pointed him in the right direction, and click, click, click he went.  For me, it was like seeing your son score the winning touchdown(which I probably will never see). Here are some shots.  The first two are of the new Ansel Adams and 3rd is one of his shots.   I don't give up my own picture space easily, but I'll give it up tonight.

Unrelated

Got out for a little bit this last Sunday morning to look for some Spring in action.  Its really nice to see that some of the water holes around here seem to be filled back up since they were bone dry at the end of last summer. Alot of my best shots, especially of birds and other wildlife are near some form of water, i.e. pond, creek, river, lake, etc.  But, today's pics are not near water and they are totally unrelated.  I say that because usually if I post more than one picture, they are related in some way.  The first shot is a shed sitting by itself about 20 yards from the road.  No other buildings within 200 yards of it in any direction.  I'm not totally sure what about it grabbed my attention, but I do like the pic.  And the second is, of course, a horse.  The greatest thing about horses is they are so curious and usually beg you for attention.  Often when I spot them out in their pasture, they stare at me and watch every step as I make my way close to the fence.  Sometimes they play very coy and look away like they don't care, but their curiosity gets the best of them.  Eventually, they start a long slow walk to get closer, one by one.  Next thing you know, they are pushing at you with their big noses, looking for some scratches and rubs.  Great subjects.