September 26, 2009 A New Adventure

Well, I'm off on another adventure. I am leaving for Dallas, Texas in the morning. I have to go on business but I am going to have fun as well. This trip, my sister, Duanne, is going with me. I was really surprised when she said she would go. We seldom get to spend any length of time with each other so this is going to be nice. I will have work during the day but the evenings will be for exploring.
I am especially looking forward to seeing the city at night. Several years ago, I drove through Dallas just after dark. It is spectacular. The buildings were lit in neon and it was truly beautiful. This time I won't be in such a rush and will be able to get a little closer.
I'm packed and the car is ready. The GPS is on hand and I am ready.

September 21, 2009

Monday was a lazy day, it rained again and most of the day. We managed to get the boat out for a float and got more photos. The only other camper in the park stopped by to ask if we caught any fish. He'd been trying but no luck. I suspect the rain had kept the fish from biting. Rain makes all the green greener. Colors of the Forest become dark and rich and there is a silence not noticed when the sun is bright. I love a slow rain and the stillness that comes with it. We had breakfast and had been sitting and talking for a little while when a tiny spotted fawn scampered by and disappeared into the weeds. I scanned the area but never saw the mother. I wondered why a baby so young would be alone. I can only assume she had sent the baby to a place where she could meet it later but I never saw her or the baby afterwards. I suppose I am still worried about what happened to the baby.

September 20, 2009

On Sunday, Randy got the boat in the water and we floated back in the shallow areas near the waters edge, exploring all the little nooks. We thought we might be able to sneak up on animals and we did. There was a deer but we only caught a quick view of its backside as it disappeared into the woods. We also saw lots of turtles and a couple of spiders, as well as ducks.

September 19, 2009 A Majestic Encounter

On Saturday morning, I got up early. It was still dark. I got my coffee and cameras and went out to wait for the morning.

Most of us have spent little time outside, alone, in the dark. If you are very quiet you can hear all sorts of things and can only guess what they are. I personally have a great imagination so I think of lions, tigers and bears but in reality they are deer, raccoons, birds and maybe a coyote. Near the water you may hear a fish plop out of the water. It is actually very quiet at 5 in the morning.

Slowly you begin to see the outlines of the trees and the sky lightens and daylight falls onto the lake.

Randy woke up around 6:30 and joined me outside and brought more coffee.

Around 9:00 we heard what we initially thought was a hawk and later Randy caught a glimpse of a large bird land in a tree not far from us. We eased up the hill and found a spot were the bird could be seen. I had brought my camera and tripod, naturally. I was so excited to get a photo of a hawk but even more excitement came when I discovered the hawk was actually an Eagle.
WOW! I was shocked. We spent the next several hours photographing the male and female eagles. Last year, someone told us eagles had been released here but I never thought I would get to see them. When the boats started running up and down the lake, they disappeared. It was a great encounter.

September 18, 2009

We drove the 35 mile trip to Turkey Fork and arrived around noon and got the camper set up just in time for a downpour of rain, wind and lightening. It got so bad at one point we had to go out and put the awning back in so it wouldn't blow away. The rain lasted for about an hour. There were a couple of other campers nearby but most of the camping spots were empty, leaving the park quiet. Randy made coffee and we spent most of the rest of the day watching the cranes. They are a strange bird. One large grey crane spent a lot of time slowly searching the edge of the water for fish. Their eyesight must be extremely keen, as they find prey in the weeds and deep in the water. There seems to be many more birds here than last time and two white cranes have been flirting with each other a great deal. They have been flying together and swooping down at each other, then will go stand near each other at the edge of the water and look for fish.

September 17, 2009 NO GO

Well I hate to say it but we won't be going on our trip as planned this year. We were planning to leave next week but there were a few things that happened that cut into the funds. So we won't be going until the spring. I would only put it off for a couple of months but that would put the trip right in the middle of the winter and I think the Snow would be more than Randy could bear. He would definitely freak out so we will wait until April or May of 2010.
I suppose we will take a few shorter trips that are closer to home until then.
In the morning we are going to that old stand by, Turkey Fork and will be staying until Tuesday.
I hope to get lots of photos and video. Its getting kind of cool in the mornings so maybe some of the animals will be out and about.