Night Clouds

It really is funny how you start out to do one thing and stumble upon something else quite by accident. The other night I decided to take Sunny-Girl my little Dauschund for an early evening walk. It gets dark sooner now and as I looked up in the sky, the moon and a beautifully strange formation of clouds presented the heavens in a manner that seemed wide open and magical. That feeling made me go back and get the camera to record this overhead vision. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

The photo above is what I call a "big sky" view in that the expanse of clouds with the moon peeking out made the horizon look huge.

I let sunny-Girl off the leach and she found something to investigate that allowed me to watch in awe as the clouds formed and reformed around the moon. This formation I found amazing because it resembled some of the galaxy or gas formation shots captured by the Hubble telescope.

Don't believe me? I found this shot that I think is a good comparison.

Strange too how this one, a variation of the first, is almost as if we had been transported into space and were now looking down on the earth. At any moment you almost expect to see the earth rotating into view below the clouds.

And, just to add to the mix, a storm is brewing in the Atlantic and day time clouds have formed to compete with the specticule from the night before. Another chance to run get the camera before they drift away...

It Came In Through A Window

I know it is late in the season in a lot of places, but here in Florida it still feels like Summer or should I say a lighter form of Summer because we are down to mid-eighty degree days. A break from the heat filled days means sleeping with the windows open and gentle breezes late into the night. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

Yesterday a butterfly flew in and settled on a chair. She did not seem inclinded to leave and try as I might, I could not help it find a way back out. It was then I figured as long as I had a visitor I might as well take a picture.

Looking at the enlarged picture later in the day I realized what a magnificant thing a butterfly is. Watching them flutter through the foliage you grow to think of their wings as very much like bird's feathers. But, on closer inspection I discovered each wing is composed of very fine tiny hairs.

And then I thought about adding another just to illustrate the point.

I don't know how long my visitor will be able to last because time after time she refuses my help and will not leave. So I guess you could say the "dye" is cast, but now you have a view of my visitor too!

A Small Town Festival

I always welcome a chance to venture out into small towns near the area because it encourages the feeling of going back in time and simple pleasures. The announcement on the local news of a Catfish Festival in the little town of Kingsland, Georgia offered this type of opportunity. It was just under an hour's drive, involved interstate travel, and a festival always offers plenty of people watching to catch on camera. I enjoy these small Southern  towns because they bring back memories of the mountain towns back in Colorado. As usual, click each photo for a better view.

Despite the heat,  there were plenty of people attending the festival. Kingland's proximity to Kings Bay Naval Station probably added to the mix of families primed for an outing of food and fun.

Kingland is definitely a small town as you can see from this photo of the main street. Time moves slowly in places like this, and I can understand how at times in our fast paced world that can have its advantages.

And, you can imagine the excitement in the town because the festival probably brings in more people than the entire population. So for one day each year the Catfish fly and the town balloons with people.

There was all kinds of family friendly entertainment such as pony rides that offered the chance to not only ride a pony but also pet some very gentle dogs that would ride along with you. This little girl took the plung, and who could blame her. A pony and a puppy is always a winning combination.

For the more adventurous there was the rock climbing wall which really required some bravery because the column was pretty high. This young man was not deterred as he made his way to the top!

And for the smaller set, there was the barrel train powered by a riding lawn mower that provided a ride around the grounds.

I brought my bicycle and after a meal of very tasty catfish, rode around the town.  I learned from one of the locals that Kingsland is known as "Love Town" because it is possible for a lot of people, especially coming from Florida, to get a marriage license and ceremony all in the same day. Sort of like the small Las Vegas of the South. He also mentioned that Oprah was scheduled to feature the town as a reality show later in the year. Who knew!!

And, a final shot before packing up my bike for the trip back home. I came upon this little shop and there was something about the sign for "new and used items" and the folige that seemed to be eating the building alive that caught my eye. A fitting end for the day!

Hip Hop At the Landing

The Labor Day weekend cut into my time to edit my video from the Hip Hop contest, but there will new adventures in Georgia to put up on the gallery later this week.

I was determined to finish the video and worked late into the night to add the finishing touches. I say that because I recognize that my video editing skills have definitely improved both in terms of transitions and creation of background music; but also because it was a hot day and the contest participants worked really hard to showcase their skills which deserved support. My only regret is that I had over an hour of video that had to be reduced to a little over five minutes, which meant not everyone could be included. And so, without further delay: I give you Hip  Hop At the Landing!

You Meet the Nicest People...

I had not taken the camera out in awhile, and last weekend heard about a break dancing contest that was taking place at the Jacksonville Landing. The first thought that came to mind was video footage for the gallery that would allow me to work on my video editing technique, and off I went! As usual, click each photo for a better view.

I found a good spot and sat down ready to let the action unfold and then I realized I had forgotten to charge either one of the two batteries for the camera just before some of the performers began practicing.  What to do, what to do? And then I got the idea to go to one of the near by restaurants and offer to pay if they would allow me to plug in my charger.

I love Italian food and just as I looked up there was the Italian restaurant Vito's. I went in and spoke with the manager who brushed away my request to pay and allowed me to plug  in my charger no questions asked. He may have thought of it as a small gesture but it spoke volumes for me because I was not a paying customer but someone who had walked in off the street.

I returned to my spot, that another spectator had kindly held for me, and began filming. The guys performing were more than entertaining as one after another they performed stunt after stunt attempting to out perform each other. A few times I smiled to myself because I knew my back-up battery was charging and would allow me to film to my hearts desire.

Once I had enough footage I realized that it was a hot Florida day and filming is hard work. What better treat than to walk one last time over to Vito's and have a meal while I cooled off. In line with how the day had been going, I was served by the nicest waitress you could ever imagine. 

Her name was Josie and despite a shy smile she made certain the  delicious plate of mussels was a delight. What went through my mind as I gobbled down the mussels was that despite feeling at times that our society has gotten rude and hardened, that there are still kind people in the world. Over and over during my adventure people had gone out of their way to offer assistance without any thought of reward, except that what they did was a nice thing to do. 

As I  work on editing the video footage from the contest I  periodically smile to myself in thanks to all the people who in their own way helped me complete the project. Yes, you meet the nicest people...