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In the Adirondacks

This beautiful scene is in the Adirondacks of New York State.

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Granddaughter and Great-granddaughter

We went to the lake today.  It was overcast and just the right temperature for a ride on the boat.

The little one was getting tired so she was snuggling with her mom.

She just turned one last week. She's adorable but I haven't seen her enough for her to be used to me yet.

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Fishing

It was another beautiful early spring day today.  

EASTER

I took a short ride to get out of the house and went to the lake near my place.  There were many folks at the lake fishing and enjoying the day.

I managed to get a pic of this guy without him noticing me.  

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Branson, MO

Several months ago some of the people from church headed to Branson, MO to see the play

"David".  We stayed for two nights at a bnb, and this was the view from the deck. 

A little different than the view from anywhere in TX that I've seen.

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Blue Heron????

The other day when the weather was so wonderful I forced myself to go to the local park to see if there were any photo ops.  For the first time ever I saw this bird...I'm not a "birder" so even though I tried to search the internet for the name, the only thing I could come up with is "Great Blue Heron".

I'm not sure that's what this bird is, but it fit the description pretty well.

I tried to get a photo of it in flight, but the images didn't come out as well as I wanted.

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The dock at the Lake

Fact:  there is only one natural lake in Texas.

All the rest are man-made.

For someone who comes from a place where there are lakes around every bend in the road, that's a difficult fact to wrap your brain around.

I went to the lake near my home today hoping beyond hope there would be a photo op.  There wasn't. This dock adjacent to a boat launch was the best I could do.  

My heart is grateful that:

the sun was shining today and I was fairly busy

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Fence at the Lake

A day or two before the snow storm I was at the lake and saw this fence, the shadow and the lake.  Not a world class photo, but I like the sparkles of the lake water and the way the fence creates the shadow.

My heart is grateful that:

in spite of the crazy long flight delay, things were ok and I'm finally home

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Winter Marina

Ft. Loudon Lake in Knoxville, Tennessee.  

I'm grateful that:

we had the chance to be out-and-about looking for photo ops while the northeast was being pummeled with snow

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Sunset at the Lake

I'm not usually out at sunset.  Tonight I was at the lake and this beautiful sunset happened.  The colors were so intense and for once I was able to capture the beauty.  

My heart is grateful for:

beautiful sunsets

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The Kids on the Dock

Friends from church hosted a Graham-Cracker-House building party at their home on the lake. Before the event started, the teens were outside on the dock and there was a beautiful sunset.  When I saw the silhouettes of the kids, I couldn't resist getting a photo.

My heart is grateful:

for the young people in our church

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Tall Grasses

I read a book a number of years ago called "Tall Grasses".  It was about one of the internment camps in the United States during WWII.  It was a really good book...I should try to find it and read it again.

This image from my files made me think about it.

My heart is grateful that:

I got called to assist for a photo job, spur of the moment.

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Adirondack Chairs and Fountain

Seen outside an eating area.

My heart is grateful for:

being able to take a short nap this afternoon

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Partial Silhouette

I was out today enjoying the incredibly beautiful weather and looking for a photo op.  I was at the local park/lake when I saw this scene.  The people were spaced apart nicely and when I saw the image on my camera it looked like a great partial silhouette.

So there ya go.

My heart is grateful today for:

ice cream

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Trees at the Lake

Back in the day when film was transitioning to digital I was very resistant to the new "digital" stuff.  I loved negatives, actual prints and even the smell of developer and I didn't want to give that up.

I finally made the leap and during the following years began to appreciate the digital experience.

Today's field trip to a local state park reinforced that appreciation.  It's winter, so the trees are bare, bushes have no green leaves and everything looks dead. I went to the park mainly to get out of the house hoping  there would be something to photograph. 

Well...hummm, nope.  Not much to see & not much to photograph, but I was happy for  the time outdoors in the beautiful weather (even though cloudy) and the exercise.  I took 35 images.  I'll be trashing 33 of them.  And that's why I'm glad I have a digital camera now.  I can shoot with abandon even though I still  use discretion.  I don't have to worry about wasting film and paying for prints that will just go in the trash.

This is just about the best of the lot and I'm not super-impressed.

It was still a good day out.

Second Pond Trail,  5.4 RT

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Another hike.  Another spectacular day.  However, I think I'm going to have to stop posting about our hikes.  Not that they aren't great, at least so far.  Not that they aren't worth writing about.  Not that they aren't a great opportunity to get outdoors and spend time with good friends. 

Just that they're beginning to look an awful lot alike.  Really....the woods are the woods are the woods, and even I'm beginning to think I don't really need to take photos every time we set foot on a trail.  So maybe I'll only post the images of whatever might be a little out of the ordinary.  

Now that we have a few "moderate" hikes under our belts, we're talking about tackling longer ones.  

Oi !!!  

But I digress.  Today's hike ended at a small lake, at a not-too-hiker-friendly area.  No comfortable place to sit, no way to get close to the water.  But we managed to eat our lunch and enjoy the breeze.  

the photographer

the doctor

the office receptionist

Just as we were getting ready to trek our way back to the car, one of the ladies  ventured off the trail for a few yards and found the real camping area where there was a wide open area and comfortable rocks.  Whatever~  we still had a great time. 

Chase Lake

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It rained all week.  The forecast for today was partly sunny in the morning with chance of rainstorms in the afternoon.  We knew we'd have time to hike and get back to the car before the rain began.

It turned out to be a great day.  Just cool enough to enjoy the long walk with

an accompanying breeze.  And no rain!  

Our destination was Chase Lake lean-to.  2.7 miles one-way.

Hikers seem to be a breed unto themselves.  There's an etiquette among those who hike.  One of the  sayings of the Adirondacks is "Leave only footsteps, take only pictures".  

Wherever there's a lean-to along a trail, you'll find items left for the use of any hikers who frequent the location.  Hanging on the outside of this lean-to was a hoe, a shovel, a fish net and a hand saw.  

Inside was a coffee pot, a can of baked beans, a zip loc bag of plastic spoons, a bag of tea light candles, a couple of canisters of propane fuel and a plastic bag of newspapers to start fires with.  

Oh.  And one item you're sure to find at any lean-to even if there's nothing else, is a composition book and pencil (safely and dryly stored in a zip loc bag)

Leave a message, share a though, report on trail conditions, write a poem, make a complaint, encourage those who follow, whatever.  It's great reading.

One of the comments in this book was written by a visitor from England.  He was so impressed with the lean-to and the items left there.  He said that if such a thing were done in England, the items would be gone within hours and the lean-to probably burned to the ground by the next day.

High-five to the Adirondack hikers!

Another fun thing.  One of my hiking buddies brought pedometers for each of us to use today.  It only counted "steps taken".  

10,000 steps = 5 miles.

We took 13,434 steps on the trail.  Makes me tired just thinking about it.