tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21135287811153301342024-02-19T20:16:47.429-05:00willard~beach~girlwillard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-74221717590223465252014-01-03T17:03:00.001-05:002014-01-04T08:38:15.633-05:00That's Not A Snowy Owl...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">I headed
out in search of the not-so-elusive snowy owl the other day. After driving
around Biddeford Pool for over an hour searching for any sign of our new </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">Arctic </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">neighbors, I pulled up alongside a plumber with a wonderful, salt and pepper, handlebar
moustache climbing into his truck. “Where are the owls!?” I pleaded. He laughed and told me they were indeed along Mile Stretch Road, the road I had been cruising.
He said to look on chimney tops and on the ice between the road and the water. Also,
look for other photographers with tripods and big lenses. Right. Other photographers.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I headed back down Mile Stretch Road and came upon a couple of guys lined up
with their tripods. My 200mm zoom looked embarrassingly small next to their
800mm lenses. It turns out one of the guys was a friend of mine. He let me put
my camera on his 800mm to get a closer look. Wow. There he was. A beautiful snowy owl tucked in among large chunks of ice. I finally had my shot. My life was complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">But first, here are my 'these are not snowy owls' photos</span><span style="font-size: 21px;">…</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCJzSMqGnLKXTN1RuAsHMtOX7GyhNE5IcDGRLVYLHbp_-sA-H0mJIIyM2NkXoTZvJpVsRlYuVPKll52CWka29MtyxPr4fjjrd6e7YJLBAJfMGwps9UBI0hMjg-OiPWoiY_gGGOfSoQ1Vt/s1600/IMG_9846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCJzSMqGnLKXTN1RuAsHMtOX7GyhNE5IcDGRLVYLHbp_-sA-H0mJIIyM2NkXoTZvJpVsRlYuVPKll52CWka29MtyxPr4fjjrd6e7YJLBAJfMGwps9UBI0hMjg-OiPWoiY_gGGOfSoQ1Vt/s640/IMG_9846.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Not a snowy owl.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcfTjaBkGi7soMwbjCHziI4E7wm3dLBEcmFGuB7fwnh7hB_W_8h4w5gsanlbJ6RyHia4eod-CbK6ta_s72Qe9y8QqGFrBu1dW091JMqJ8ucG0HX8Iq6ROF_TG-3GAWp3eFO3FXaVAY2FD/s1600/IMG_9852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmcfTjaBkGi7soMwbjCHziI4E7wm3dLBEcmFGuB7fwnh7hB_W_8h4w5gsanlbJ6RyHia4eod-CbK6ta_s72Qe9y8QqGFrBu1dW091JMqJ8ucG0HX8Iq6ROF_TG-3GAWp3eFO3FXaVAY2FD/s640/IMG_9852.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Nope, no snowy owls here.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oKLMlqYJtO-xRfjWFqlfv1N8XPDVIC8un5Ns_-zXcirLCYB0UlJCbQlplVLGBBs2Dh1IBJknnQHm6oYHZ8VCYfHmMYpWvsv9jAwcz1glTXTnC1x3ezCeEBzeNXeAxwRkmBKpAufVTSt1/s1600/IMG_9855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_oKLMlqYJtO-xRfjWFqlfv1N8XPDVIC8un5Ns_-zXcirLCYB0UlJCbQlplVLGBBs2Dh1IBJknnQHm6oYHZ8VCYfHmMYpWvsv9jAwcz1glTXTnC1x3ezCeEBzeNXeAxwRkmBKpAufVTSt1/s640/IMG_9855.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Negative, just a long road with some colorful houses.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pN8cS003yfyC_LrWv-tXhMP3lQcV-UxOIuKFCvuMGVsuH_z72kCLxkmczVrNEwT8KcpwJNDrokkccVjzWgXXz9Mj4I7YKq4ixbLTTyKx5uWWMYz6GcE-iJtPYgkMYxypoueqL2iixcQe/s1600/IMG_9895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pN8cS003yfyC_LrWv-tXhMP3lQcV-UxOIuKFCvuMGVsuH_z72kCLxkmczVrNEwT8KcpwJNDrokkccVjzWgXXz9Mj4I7YKq4ixbLTTyKx5uWWMYz6GcE-iJtPYgkMYxypoueqL2iixcQe/s640/IMG_9895.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">On the rooftops?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-P-vwFbVPu-MgqsEDMQ_4AWCW__x7zpfPJpjqYKPLTxIJVfhEWJHZqJM_vwjKSlLEtNa2ElcrYgw5riEjfFGbOTLeE-T-Gec06UtvEy0hjo3fduwnq_amN6Lf2n0a3-LC8ORQcSYpFale/s1600/IMG_9926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-P-vwFbVPu-MgqsEDMQ_4AWCW__x7zpfPJpjqYKPLTxIJVfhEWJHZqJM_vwjKSlLEtNa2ElcrYgw5riEjfFGbOTLeE-T-Gec06UtvEy0hjo3fduwnq_amN6Lf2n0a3-LC8ORQcSYpFale/s640/IMG_9926.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 21px;">Not these.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-efbUTOBUpEVVYOp9bwOabCG3wK8pXqFGOLpIv80uRLALyXGJeDV1MUjUU0HRG4sXUZ9p9UvCsSCiU_sEKTxp477DdMWVkE4M44usiOKKxMOOHVtYfSu-2e6uVnyUcCfotOf9gpfImgA/s1600/IMG_9969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-efbUTOBUpEVVYOp9bwOabCG3wK8pXqFGOLpIv80uRLALyXGJeDV1MUjUU0HRG4sXUZ9p9UvCsSCiU_sEKTxp477DdMWVkE4M44usiOKKxMOOHVtYfSu-2e6uVnyUcCfotOf9gpfImgA/s640/IMG_9969.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Nice reflection, still no owl.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhKWtCeXr24bjXRT9HJbp2lTvyE5oFHsiTe6j08FX8GbH495a7GY5oEP4iln-HQC13yzUKvcDqLJt6pcGMmk7rbWWvItGA7oFMw11epELav6YYtbqUD2X3SrsJDCJTgejA6bL3MF6_yBz/s1600/IMG_9859.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyhKWtCeXr24bjXRT9HJbp2lTvyE5oFHsiTe6j08FX8GbH495a7GY5oEP4iln-HQC13yzUKvcDqLJt6pcGMmk7rbWWvItGA7oFMw11epELav6YYtbqUD2X3SrsJDCJTgejA6bL3MF6_yBz/s640/IMG_9859.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Perhaps on that roof?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXXPD_OFBeBnSVO4GLRReCpIPleqf2piRmK9qosSx_BMCoB-ihOrjqw0Gx-smwRU9R_V_UnIcVAZ-SEKCub0vVxmzmiIA2scPCzddgjlfeSQfOg_YFBsXc45Cl6TQ-ZhOcfsqHSspE6V4/s1600/IMG_9940+-+Version+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXXPD_OFBeBnSVO4GLRReCpIPleqf2piRmK9qosSx_BMCoB-ihOrjqw0Gx-smwRU9R_V_UnIcVAZ-SEKCub0vVxmzmiIA2scPCzddgjlfeSQfOg_YFBsXc45Cl6TQ-ZhOcfsqHSspE6V4/s640/IMG_9940+-+Version+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">A nice winding road shot. No owls.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM3YHShoVlC0CinjYs7o3Du6mTrGgEajUF4G85OvZ1_HmJ-I6TQZHTgvcGE3lQPuXcOS6m3COx1j2kkVREVJANycttmzApfXu-PoyvLWpsToud6w_n-gU1JOCuyKTwIy70D6Le5vhWz5z/s1600/IMG_9958.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCM3YHShoVlC0CinjYs7o3Du6mTrGgEajUF4G85OvZ1_HmJ-I6TQZHTgvcGE3lQPuXcOS6m3COx1j2kkVREVJANycttmzApfXu-PoyvLWpsToud6w_n-gU1JOCuyKTwIy70D6Le5vhWz5z/s640/IMG_9958.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Wait, is that …?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDMyPbTtwyt1do5aH-j85xQAWNXftUF4F1rr_Or-6YkjC8sBJSHwLLlt_Lk1dzRdGzfkli1FkWzrSGsgLUCYFmMYG2Nikekup0YEnbv2aS-x8AFTC8AWiMoI4E09-1vHM-HYFvptZw8db/s1600/IMG_9962.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDMyPbTtwyt1do5aH-j85xQAWNXftUF4F1rr_Or-6YkjC8sBJSHwLLlt_Lk1dzRdGzfkli1FkWzrSGsgLUCYFmMYG2Nikekup0YEnbv2aS-x8AFTC8AWiMoI4E09-1vHM-HYFvptZw8db/s640/IMG_9962.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">Yes, yes! I think it is...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI11oBEQRibMS2Zt_ui82YRTMaDkHhm4SCXmp5tN6EAbhr13WcrJ2uTh1I1UzphKLfA-nHZ1XuUoQZ2HHnynWg2JGHcEKAns0RLgzvCRs_N48qG5y3-7PoYWu6CZGWO2g7QI3fYQ7G_6t/s1600/IMG_9946.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRI11oBEQRibMS2Zt_ui82YRTMaDkHhm4SCXmp5tN6EAbhr13WcrJ2uTh1I1UzphKLfA-nHZ1XuUoQZ2HHnynWg2JGHcEKAns0RLgzvCRs_N48qG5y3-7PoYWu6CZGWO2g7QI3fYQ7G_6t/s640/IMG_9946.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">It is! It is! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0edfKmQnrfEcIxTvXUk2FmErfkxYG4L33q2wjNrt-wsZ87ANn_P84sEmGWzbGE76h51IqzB6ANpA_23BCG-nhyphenhyphenujb69Jp08iPRIgPAOtzTNEEZ1BYtg4iBHSTyarmi0JyAhKv5mH7Ncwy/s1600/IMG_9947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0edfKmQnrfEcIxTvXUk2FmErfkxYG4L33q2wjNrt-wsZ87ANn_P84sEmGWzbGE76h51IqzB6ANpA_23BCG-nhyphenhyphenujb69Jp08iPRIgPAOtzTNEEZ1BYtg4iBHSTyarmi0JyAhKv5mH7Ncwy/s640/IMG_9947.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">A snowy owl!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD77MwsdPFhuIrdH4YUNxuH6tbJEUZoy6dhl6YsyYkZSNTMxAzJoohjs2mcPKnZnRYZq96Q3O1M6553nuZcVlcX6Q11rGautVCDAdlQDrrA1eiKWjsom-FCxHm_p82LQguejONFq8g770/s1600/IMG_9951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXD77MwsdPFhuIrdH4YUNxuH6tbJEUZoy6dhl6YsyYkZSNTMxAzJoohjs2mcPKnZnRYZq96Q3O1M6553nuZcVlcX6Q11rGautVCDAdlQDrrA1eiKWjsom-FCxHm_p82LQguejONFq8g770/s640/IMG_9951.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">My life is complete.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div>
willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-62978094932816050412013-12-09T19:23:00.001-05:002013-12-09T19:23:14.769-05:00No Words - Just My Favorite Photo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5n38lhsAx3h4dUeg5wz5t1yYq0BEIIS8QYcY5XwrurHoc9fDx0iDZMv41fKTNu97zEJKXGQv6davEUbBNOVn-s3G2gPx-MBE594xg-lcrZHfCam7wkRMfRkthp7oIc_Eh3xfT0dzNCGI/s1600/6644390045_8500aa4433_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU5n38lhsAx3h4dUeg5wz5t1yYq0BEIIS8QYcY5XwrurHoc9fDx0iDZMv41fKTNu97zEJKXGQv6davEUbBNOVn-s3G2gPx-MBE594xg-lcrZHfCam7wkRMfRkthp7oIc_Eh3xfT0dzNCGI/s640/6644390045_8500aa4433_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Back Cove - Portland, Maine (no post processing…straight out of camera)willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-6419217215608995212013-12-04T21:14:00.002-05:002013-12-04T21:50:02.071-05:00From Internet Marketer to Christmas Wreath Maker<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wz2F-iz3kdd-z3bGZkhkT39dcBHnkaXUC0cVQng41q9phole8wmuE97FpZlYHOxx52TLw2PfjHCpN8Y00VYz6ReIDbq3GgzOnkO5-PV4e9YaNrT122pz6tvsIAX2ChBMxyg8bjYtmKmB/s1600/photo-5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Wz2F-iz3kdd-z3bGZkhkT39dcBHnkaXUC0cVQng41q9phole8wmuE97FpZlYHOxx52TLw2PfjHCpN8Y00VYz6ReIDbq3GgzOnkO5-PV4e9YaNrT122pz6tvsIAX2ChBMxyg8bjYtmKmB/s640/photo-5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
left the Marketing world in the spring of 2009. I had put in a solid 20 years
speeding down the Internet Superhighway and it was time for a break. I was out
of gas. After taking some time off, I decided manual labor would be a nice
change. I was hired at Skillins Greenhouses, a well-known and respected local
nursery. What I noticed immediately was how well I slept after putting in a long
day of unloading semi trucks of trees and shrubs. There was an overwhelming
relief of not having to return phone calls and emails. There were no deadlines.
I now punched in and out each day and packed my lunch in a lunch box. I liked talking
with customers about soil and sun and planting. I liked moving. I liked dirt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">During
the holiday season at the nursery, we sell holiday boxes, decorated Christmas
wreaths and balsam fir trees (</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 26.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Abies
balsamea)</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. We
also ship our popular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">State of Maine</i>
wreaths across the country. (I am in charge of shipping…200 to date, and
counting.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7833P4nHLUwnzpsZtsk9rvfCSyzv1uOIvvnvHhPf2nk_sARPmd-neivI-7CiXBTAXXtSJ8Jgbr6Z3Tg5KJjhF1Nigfo1Fc8P04MkpKFSkbo-AKUZdVh_9_yjSgY2uwcIME9idWvxNzGe/s1600/photo-13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7833P4nHLUwnzpsZtsk9rvfCSyzv1uOIvvnvHhPf2nk_sARPmd-neivI-7CiXBTAXXtSJ8Jgbr6Z3Tg5KJjhF1Nigfo1Fc8P04MkpKFSkbo-AKUZdVh_9_yjSgY2uwcIME9idWvxNzGe/s640/photo-13.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
customers enter <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Christmas Room</i>
they comment on the wonderful balsam aroma. While we no longer smell it, we
still smile and agree, “Yes, it’s amazing, isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So,
during this holiday season, I leave you with some iPhone photos of me shipping wreaths,
as well as some of my decorated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Katahdin</i>
wreaths hanging on the windows of Stonehome Estate Jewelers on Exchange Street.
I’ve made it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Happy
Holidays! Liz</span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.skillins.com/holidays/wreaths-swags/state-of-maine-wreath.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Ship Your State Of Maine Wreath Today!</b></a></div>
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willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-78896246378766908792013-11-30T17:06:00.001-05:002013-11-30T22:11:56.179-05:00Mama Mia! Is that a Delivery Truck Stuck in that Alley?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsZ-10ACFbTOr923fv4Xmd2HBnuuA-HAUoQQTsafezE4k8zi-U_CMLxsj2OVn2bthsI4-eQv2qwXXl-d6pliCGgAgkXbw2hpYUyHaAufDGpuoQGN4MjZKnMNKyS8yDZTM8ElfJfz3wx4D/s1600/3931477626_6d043e7144_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsZ-10ACFbTOr923fv4Xmd2HBnuuA-HAUoQQTsafezE4k8zi-U_CMLxsj2OVn2bthsI4-eQv2qwXXl-d6pliCGgAgkXbw2hpYUyHaAufDGpuoQGN4MjZKnMNKyS8yDZTM8ElfJfz3wx4D/s640/3931477626_6d043e7144_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
is no wonder I love shooting in the North End of Boston so much; shop
windows filled with Sopressata, Cacciatore, and Salame; ricotta cheese stuffed
cannolis at Mike’s Pastry; waiters named Vinny and Manny setting tables for the
Saturday night dinner crowd, and Boston cops hanging out on street corners.
These are all sights I’ve come to appreciate and, in some ways, even expect
when I visit the North End.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sometimes,
however, the best moments in life come when the unexpected happens. They are like
scenes out of a Spielberg movie, ones that only an experienced movie director could
re-create. What I couldn’t anticipate while strolling along Hanover Street that
lazy summer afternoon was catching a glimpse of a delivery truck stuck in an
alleyway out the corner of my eye. The drivers clearly thought they could
continue through the narrow space, but a lamp post and a street that looked
about 10 times too small for the large white box truck were obstacles that proved
too big for even the most experienced truck driver.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhE90MhqXhm2T7YMuokkvyiWZ6DJ8c1qDUQs6wunv2hdSC5gTMrSvS63G4BUzBBjrcYpreSrXxQsA_sapa_YN65v8XKoGPEPm_HwmvPbTIn3dSQRrlKbR49nlJTMI6OJ-zsKF-NjYaGqa/s1600/3931464310_85269cfc15_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzhE90MhqXhm2T7YMuokkvyiWZ6DJ8c1qDUQs6wunv2hdSC5gTMrSvS63G4BUzBBjrcYpreSrXxQsA_sapa_YN65v8XKoGPEPm_HwmvPbTIn3dSQRrlKbR49nlJTMI6OJ-zsKF-NjYaGqa/s640/3931464310_85269cfc15_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">If
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">delivery truck stuck in alley</i> photo
opp weren’t enough, an elderly Italian woman hunched over her cane approached the scene just as I did. With determined curiosity, she shuffled down the street in her house slippers and poked her head around the corner. When she saw the
truck, her eyes widened. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mama Mia! Mama
Mia!</i>, she repeated. She gestured to me for some confirmation.
I raised my hands in disbelief and repeated back to her wide-eyed, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mama Mia!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqFf_byJwdd0AEZTwPpNFWs9ykFzXgAxHB_WAhfG0jtT0t_7UYk0m85alSRak2dElGxK5nsgvtZ_O96aMDLvYAK-uOFyzls285LS05BzVX3pI2rb3G83pkUtus67Qrxb47LBejANDN-R0/s1600/3931459032_9b9cbf895b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqFf_byJwdd0AEZTwPpNFWs9ykFzXgAxHB_WAhfG0jtT0t_7UYk0m85alSRak2dElGxK5nsgvtZ_O96aMDLvYAK-uOFyzls285LS05BzVX3pI2rb3G83pkUtus67Qrxb47LBejANDN-R0/s640/3931459032_9b9cbf895b_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk-AnPqlUTm2yi4e3izOAsM9zijN7wAo4ZixO0zsV6GZ2BOZWgtRWa5lGwysSnAcKYhTaZSKy1Q65X09AFCY7AuCaMUCJecVJ_-qtpNbXGQ07DjdnWlpqHR0NMPEV0LhJdll15ktQgR_D/s1600/3930679077_bf3d682679_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQk-AnPqlUTm2yi4e3izOAsM9zijN7wAo4ZixO0zsV6GZ2BOZWgtRWa5lGwysSnAcKYhTaZSKy1Q65X09AFCY7AuCaMUCJecVJ_-qtpNbXGQ07DjdnWlpqHR0NMPEV0LhJdll15ktQgR_D/s640/3930679077_bf3d682679_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRjf4TDZ1a_n6feqBh017WjfooCJmwIMXbtxzOcwk5s07gFnOoeEStt1BfeCoCm1FkCk5y0kXsJB__pk5zRuIhfnbpg0CXpdY4o7OhMmHclSmru2PdKMu4xm9Z6l8Xd48-PVt4u-xgPou/s1600/3930428472_9a3a5ae095_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRjf4TDZ1a_n6feqBh017WjfooCJmwIMXbtxzOcwk5s07gFnOoeEStt1BfeCoCm1FkCk5y0kXsJB__pk5zRuIhfnbpg0CXpdY4o7OhMmHclSmru2PdKMu4xm9Z6l8Xd48-PVt4u-xgPou/s640/3930428472_9a3a5ae095_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Along
with my quintessential nonna italiana, a couple of true blue Boston Cops showed
up to assess the situation. Behind the scenes, a sullen truck driver sat on the
curb awaiting the verdict. (He told me later he was worried he was going to get
fired when he got back to dispatch).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
entire scene was Boston at its finest. One tough Italian grandmother, a few tough
Boston cops, and two not-so-tough delivery truck drivers.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> went to the North End expecting one thing and left with something quite different;
something quite wonderfully different.</span></div>
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willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-7225535777935750932013-11-27T09:51:00.006-05:002014-01-04T08:37:35.365-05:00For the Love of God, Don’t Put Celery in the Stuffing<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">For
as long I can remember, I have hated, nope… detested, the taste of celery. That’s
right. Celery. I have no idea where it stems from. I have no early childhood memory
of an evil babysitter force feeding me celery, or eating celery soup when I
was home sick with the flu, or a traumatic holiday experience with peanut
butter filled celery. I just don’t like it. A lot don’t like it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">So
what exactly is it about celery that I find so offensive. It’s a combination of
bad. Part taste, part smell, part texture. When I tell friends of my strong
aversion, they universally come back with... <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What if it’s cooked? </i>Doesn’t matter. Hate. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What if it’s filled with peanut butter? </i>Nope. Won’t do it. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How can you hate it, it has no taste!? </i>Sure
does. Vile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
a completely unscientific study of friends and family over the years, I have
found exactly 3 other people who hate celery as much as I do. When we first
discover our mutual displeasure of the stalk, we are like long-lost brothers in
arms who washed ashore together in Normandy. We have found each other. We
embrace, we cheer, sometimes we cry. We share celery stories. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No one </i>understands, we sniff. We hug
each other knowing that we have found someone else who knows the pain we’ve endured over the years. We are soul mates.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">So,
what does any of this have to do with photography? Absolutely nothing. But,
tomorrow is Thanksgiving and frankly, I’m terrified about seeing celery. Cream cheese and olive stuffed celery, itty bitty pieces of celery in the stuffing, or worse:
giant chunks of celery in the salad. Because, for me, celery is quite simply, the
worst food ever.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><i>post script: Thanksgiving was a success! No celery sightings. Thanks, Dave.</i></span></div>
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willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-84579904717118754622013-11-23T09:07:00.002-05:002013-11-25T11:01:09.560-05:00The Day I Met Jack Nicholson on the Peaks Island Ferry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9MPXWAt9gh-KGfvFwTpajfQX8bZARDFQFY1nqE-ZYec0aRwjGuS0k3rkA6SVpp9T2APtZBnB-uuoXd6BFW-O7QQ8EZPSJ9z8qqBD9-oKBrSOodHo-G05U_QkW52NoAtxQqmG_3yuzJPZ/s1600/4998649179_3a1d30eebc_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9MPXWAt9gh-KGfvFwTpajfQX8bZARDFQFY1nqE-ZYec0aRwjGuS0k3rkA6SVpp9T2APtZBnB-uuoXd6BFW-O7QQ8EZPSJ9z8qqBD9-oKBrSOodHo-G05U_QkW52NoAtxQqmG_3yuzJPZ/s640/4998649179_3a1d30eebc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">As
he walked toward me, I stared in disbelief, ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh my God, is that Jack Nicholson? What on earth would he be doing on
the Peaks Island Ferry? I would have heard if he had a house on the island. Is
he shooting a movie on Peaks? Why wouldn’t I have read about it in the paper? Is
he visiting friends on the island?’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Then,
without looking up, he sat down on the bench beside me.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>My mind was spinning. I looked, I didn’t look, I thought it was
him, then not him, then got paranoid that I was looking too much, then looked
down, then looked away. After a few minutes of trying unsuccessfully to act both
cool and disinterested; I blurted out, “Excuse me, but does everyone tell you,
you look just like Jack Nicholson?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Yes,”
he replied, in a tone pure Jack. Quietly. Deliberately. His voice hoarse. His smile,
half Joker, half Caretaker of The Overlook Hotel. Then, in a gravelly retort
only Jack could pull off, he added, “I’m an impersonator.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">“Oh,
Cool!” I smiled, wide-eyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Turns out his real name is Ed Ezzard (which added freaky to freak, since I’m also a huge fan of British comedian, Eddie Izzard, so now I’m doubly fake-star-struck and only mildly confused). Before
changing careers to Jack impersonator, not-Jack was an IT Project Manager from
New York. Today, he has a thriving business and even has a web site, themainejack.com
(You can’t make this stuff up.) He explained that he does </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">private parties, conventions, fundraisers, sales
meetings, photo doubles, and commercials.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fifteen minutes after crossing
Casco Bay with Oscar-winning Jack, then IT Ed playing Jack, followed by Ed
playing himself – a guy who just happens to look so much like Jack he started a
business being Jack, we arrived at Peaks Island. He handed me his business
card: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ed Ezzard, Jack Nicholson
Impersonator</i>. Well, ok then. </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">I walked away smiling. I had, in fact,</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">
just met Jack Nicholson on the ferry to Peaks Island. Well, sort of.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div>
willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-1294623176049927792013-11-19T22:01:00.001-05:002013-11-20T19:57:24.280-05:00A Game of Cat and Mouse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLsVArRkreyH59fauRI42xCP45qzjpYLAQ300DBjl09wGdD823W8wEKIgnJKDQuqsPcFHxpl1599NfEe5iVwIdruEIfpkCIYNPfyBCtvaRYcrp2O8EkGGpH_gV78iPLeeXrdnSZ7Z5MKC/s1600/5769427790_ab754e39d2_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="436" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLsVArRkreyH59fauRI42xCP45qzjpYLAQ300DBjl09wGdD823W8wEKIgnJKDQuqsPcFHxpl1599NfEe5iVwIdruEIfpkCIYNPfyBCtvaRYcrp2O8EkGGpH_gV78iPLeeXrdnSZ7Z5MKC/s640/5769427790_ab754e39d2_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">As it turns out, there really i</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">s a game called cat and mouse; one with a real </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">cat, and a real mouse. </span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">I know because I witnessed it from my purple couch one afternoon. Outside the bay windows, I watched as my neighbor’s rotund orange house cat darted up and down the street spastically chasing something that looked as frightened as a … oh, wait.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Somewhat fearful of the unfolding massacre I was about to witness, I headed out the door. Camera in hand, I tip-toed closer to the cat-mouse duo. There, on the edge of the road, a mouth-watering feline was cozying up to a wide-eyed, grey rodent. The cat had played with this mouse just long enough to get the mouse to trust it. They even shared a few snout to snout kisses, it seemed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_map1Rux1d0VymVX6uBVvJI3LEOlqkGoOBcJlsQ5XIVIgk7fz9f9dvsSAiKpGS-dU2JODUjYK0J9kMh4J0LNyi9A2b2jk4jER8VC_sbgnbuKtp5-KG-sKbpaaaTYJkIVVzubX_PUX6T/s1600/5768888021_55c7826ed7_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN_map1Rux1d0VymVX6uBVvJI3LEOlqkGoOBcJlsQ5XIVIgk7fz9f9dvsSAiKpGS-dU2JODUjYK0J9kMh4J0LNyi9A2b2jk4jER8VC_sbgnbuKtp5-KG-sKbpaaaTYJkIVVzubX_PUX6T/s640/5768888021_55c7826ed7_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">My instinct was to alert the mouse, “Run! Don’t trust him! He’ll eat you alive! I swear! It’s a trap!” But, then I heard the voice of Sir Darwin, “This, my dear,” the authoritarian, British voice in my head continued, “…is nature at its finest. Survival of the fittest!” At that moment, I wondered if Mr. Darwin had ever been chased across sub-Saharan Africa by a large cat, its fangs piercing Charles in the hind quarters mid-stride. I think not. Master Chuck Darwin, while a voyageur; knew not (at least not from first-hand experience) that from which he postulated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">As it turned out, there was no massacre; at least not one that I witnessed. Perhaps my neighbors had a present waiting at their doorstep later that night, I can’t say for sure. But, from my observations (and my best estimation), it was a playful game of a harmless neighborhood cat playing chase with a common field mouse. The cat endeared itself to the mouse, the mouse responded in kind, and a friendship ensued. It was a game of cat meets mouse, cat likes mouse, mouse trusts cat, mouse likes cat. At least, that's the story I prefer. Which story do you prefer?</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Wikipedia:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Cat and mouse</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, often expressed as cat-and-mouse game, is an English-language idiom dating back to 1675 that means "a contrived action involving constant pursuit, near captures, and repeated escapes."</span></i><i><span style="color: #092f9d; font-size: 12pt;">[1]</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The "cat" is unable to secure a definitive victory over the "mouse", who despite not being able to defeat the cat, is able to avoid capture. In extreme cases, the idiom may imply that the contest is never-ending. The term is derived from the hunting behavior of domestic cats, which often appear to "play" with prey by releasing it after capture. This behavior is due to an instinctive imperative to ensure that the prey is weak enough to be killed without endangering the cat.</span></i><i><span style="color: #092f9d; font-size: 12pt;">[2]</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In colloquial usage it has often been generalized to mean simply that the advantage constantly shifts between the contestants, leading to an impasse or de facto stalemate.</span></i>willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-52482229691911782332013-11-15T11:26:00.003-05:002013-11-17T22:37:54.008-05:00Feature: Nice Shot! What’s for Breakfast?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FPqWU5MG_DMNwcTHRZQ9tsjJxo-vD0bI7aV09bxjZRI-BTZfl4o6SJoEQwOz8wlKH6gZt4KQ_p9FsA4_zngHzaWlumy3FPzP30EmfljiwXJFAZ_qxLeGhpr3fA0gh5cmdywrB1y71k9y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-11-15+at+10.59.12+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FPqWU5MG_DMNwcTHRZQ9tsjJxo-vD0bI7aV09bxjZRI-BTZfl4o6SJoEQwOz8wlKH6gZt4KQ_p9FsA4_zngHzaWlumy3FPzP30EmfljiwXJFAZ_qxLeGhpr3fA0gh5cmdywrB1y71k9y/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-11-15+at+10.59.12+AM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Photo credit: Roger Goun</div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Photography
is so many different things to so many people. I often wondered where I fit in.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After
years of sorting through the maze, I came to realize that, at heart, I’m a Meetup
photographer. That is, I love getting together with my Meetup group just before
dawn – at a lighthouse, in the old port, or at a nature preserve; taking
pictures for a few hours, and then going out for breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve dined at Becky’s, The Good Table, The Portland Diner, and the The Port Hole. </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">We share our favorite shots from the morning over hash browns and blueberry muffins. We talk gear and light and sometimes politics, but mostly just check in with each other’s lives. How are the kids? What projects are you working on? How was your trip to New Zealand?</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #fb0007; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;">Now Open Under New Ownership!</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGW_yxsRr85Ki5iQwJsM36NtXwj1nuFEDs2u5ZyVh5mEivkMSQm092hQrMz6sMsIFc-A8tkauD4stakmsV0YhbvViTIgFj7vGsKcmDWNGCyIaPRxjfomjN-FKeUuo8pTnTeFLWV8WvlSeq/s1600/6383586411_827fb566fe_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGW_yxsRr85Ki5iQwJsM36NtXwj1nuFEDs2u5ZyVh5mEivkMSQm092hQrMz6sMsIFc-A8tkauD4stakmsV0YhbvViTIgFj7vGsKcmDWNGCyIaPRxjfomjN-FKeUuo8pTnTeFLWV8WvlSeq/s640/6383586411_827fb566fe_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">We
eat pancakes, and French toast, and Greek omelettes with home fries and toast.
Over coffee, we like to chimp (chimping is when you look at your photos on your
camera and, with great delight, act as a chimp might – ooohhh, ahhhh).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Wiki: </span><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">Chimping</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">
is a colloquial term used in </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_photography"><span style="color: #092f9d; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">digital photography</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">
to describe the habit of checking every photo on the camera display (</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LCD"><span style="color: #092f9d; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">LCD</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">) immediately
after capture. The phrase is most likely derived from a comparison between the
sounds and actions made whilst reviewing images and those of an excited primate
(such as a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee"><span style="color: #092f9d; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">chimpanzee</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;">),
e.g. "<i>Oooh! Oooh! Aaah!</i>"; or when a photographer is absorbed
in the act of analyzing, admiring, or displaying a photograph.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was close. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">We shoot black and white. We shoot color. We meet when it’s 70 degrees and when it’s 7 degrees. We’ve travelled to Camden and Phippsburg, Freeport and Wells.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">We are all levels of photographer. All kinds of cameras. From a point and shoot to a brand new Leica M Monochrom to, drumroll, film. The cool thing is, no one cares.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Sometimes
5 people show up, sometimes 15. Usually it’s somewhere in between. Some folks
have moved away, some have dropped out, some have recently joined. We’ve had
online arguments over ‘the rules’ of the group and even split off into splinter
groups. It’s all ok. It’s just part of the natural progression and cycle of
things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
had an immediate and natural bond. We all know instinctively that we’ll stop at
the crooked wooden fence just ahead in the path with the morning light hitting
it just right, or the white peony opening up before us, or the orange maple
glowing behind a moss-covered gravestone. We don’t think it’s weird to be
walking, suddenly stop, drop to the ground and lie down in the grass to get a
shot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
definitely like being silly and hamming it up for the camera (one person in
particular – hint: it rhymes with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>). We pretend we’re the Beatles Abbey Road cover, we re-create high school class
pictures, and we do the forced group shot for posterity. We go to each other’s photo
openings and 50<sup>th</sup> birthday parties and weddings and Hanukkah celebrations.
We’ve met each other’s kids and grand kids. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">After breakfast, we rush home to our computers and upload our photos to Flickr. We comment enthusiastically and generously. Great shot! Nice capture! Beautiful light!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">We shoot together. We eat together. We talk about our passion for photography together. We met because of our love of photography and became friends over breakfast.</span></div>
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willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-72024360897420989252013-11-12T16:02:00.001-05:002013-11-17T22:38:28.644-05:00Summer in the City and Why Giving Back Feels So Good<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i style="font-size: 21px;">Summer in the City and Why Giving Back Feels So Good</i><br />
<i style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">It
was July of 2009, I had just bought myself a nifty new toy, called a Canon 5D, and
figured it was time to re-learn some of the basics. I signed up for a “How to
Use Your Digital Camera” class at MECA, the local art school, not the gathering
place of millions in Saudi Arabia; although a recent visitor from Saudi’s eyes
lit up </span><span style="font-size: 21px;">the other night </span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">as we drove past the sign.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After
I got over the super weird fact that our instructor’s true passion was photographing
dead light bulbs; I jumped into f-stops, shutter speeds, and ISO settings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On Saturday
mornings, the class explored the city practicing our new skills while shooting
random tourists (with our cameras), bustling marinas, historic buildings and public parks.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">One
morning, we headed over to the Farmer’s Market in Deering Oaks Park. After getting
the quintessential farmer-in-overalls-standing-next-to-vegetable-stand shot, we
walked down a small hill to the kiddie wading pool. On hot summer days, the
pools are packed with local children jumping in and out of mini geysers that
randomly shoot water straight up in the air, sending the kids into hysterics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">A little
girl in red struck me. I asked her father if I could take a few photos, he
nodded politely. English was not his first language. Shy at first, she quickly warmed
up to me and gave me cute smiles as she walked by posing for the camera. She
and her little brother laughed as they splashed, jumped, and frolicked in the
cool water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">As we were leaving, I asked her father if he wanted me to email him the photos. In very broken English, he told me he didn’t have a computer. I told him I would be happy to mail them to him. Excited, he scribbled his name and address on a piece of paper and handed it to me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">I spent the next few days creating a photo book on Shutterfly. When the book arrived in the mail, I flipped through it with pride and then carefully placed it in a manila envelope and with a big smile sent it off to the family.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 21.0pt;">I won’t likely see the Pang family again, but knowing
that they have memories from that fun-filled day in the park, makes it all ok.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
you’re out and about, remember those who don’t have cameras or computers or modern day gadgets. Share your photos. You can give people a gift that others can't. Memories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-4457971408223755192013-11-09T06:31:00.000-05:002013-11-10T11:20:59.045-05:00Tattoos, a Great Dane, a BMX biker, a Punk Rock Wedding at Genos and Why You Should Never Leave Home Without Your Camera<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">I remember feeling restless that day. I wasn’t really in the mood to take pictures. It was grey and overcast, so the idea of sitting in a café and people watching seemed more appealing to me. At the last minute, I grabbed my camera and threw it in the car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 21px;">I wandered around downtown Portland taking a couple of random ‘nothing’ shots. Just as I turned the corner onto Congress Street, I came upon a wedding. Not your typical fancy, long white dress wedding, but a real-live punk rock wedding; complete with tattoos, faux tuxedo t-shirts, and black, lots of black. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">I grabbed a couple of quick shots, took a few more steps, and looked across the street to see a freakishly large great dane taking a stroll with its owner. Another block and a salty sailor with a full white beard stood in front of his shop, followed by an Edward Hopper scene emerging in front of Anna’s Used Furniture Store, a chick in green cowboy boots, a BMX biker, and a rasta skateboarder. The day quickly turned from grey and overcast to colorful and alive.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Don’t let the next grey day discourage you. Get out there and explore. You never know what surprises you might run into.</span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-10517080342921069942013-11-05T12:26:00.002-05:002013-11-05T22:00:50.621-05:00Breaking All The Rules. Or, “Go ahead! Put the cows and the horizon smack dab in the middle of the frame.”<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On
a recent drive through the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, I came across a half
dozen cattle grazing on a hill. I hit the breaks and took a daring
cow-in-the-middle-horizon-in-the-middle shot. I felt rebellious. I saw two cows
standing proudly on the hill. For me, in that moment, there was no other option.
Front and center was the only composition I could see. I came away with a
powerful image; one I never would have dared back in junior high.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was only 13 when I took my first photography class. I was in the 7<sup>th</sup>
grade at Masconomet Junior High School in Boxford, Massachusetts. (Boxford is
30 miles north of Boston - home to the winners of the 2013 Major League
Baseball World Series – just thought I’d throw that in there). I had a
ginormous, clunky Canon. Film, of course. I’m pretty sure the camera was a hand-me-down
from my Uncle Bunk or maybe, Uncle Buster. Both were avid photographers. And,
yes, my mother’s brothers’ have funny nicknames. (Their real names are Benjamin
and Arthur).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
teacher stood at the front of the classroom and told us about the rules of
photography. Rule number one: never-ever-ever, place the horizon in the center
of your frame. I learned that if you divide the shot into three equal parts,
the horizon should be close to one of the two lines that divide the shot. Just
don’t, under any circumstance, </span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">split the frame in half with the horizon</span><span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Rule
number two: the well-known rule of thirds. That is, you should divide your shot
into thirds, both horizontally and vertically - imagine a tic-tac-toe board. When
shooting, place your horizontal shots (like the horizon) on the top or bottom
line, and your vertical shots (like a person or a tree, or a person in a tree),
on the left or right line. “This will make for nice composition,” she told us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
find that these are generally good guidelines for, say, a 7<sup>th</sup> grader.
After that, they seem pretty arbitrary and should probably be taken with a
grain of silver halide (shout out to the venerable dark room geeks). Instead, try
experimenting. Throw a tree in the middle, the horizon in the middle, a cat, a
bird, a goat in the middle. Why not a toaster, or a pigeon, or even a donkey?
Heck, throw the whole kitchen sink in the middle!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Have
fun with it. You just might come away with an image you really love. Rules or
no rules.</span></div>
willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-17039018143040718032013-11-03T12:19:00.001-05:002013-11-09T07:33:26.269-05:00 Street Photography: Standing in the Same Spot, on the Same Street, in the Same City, Til Someone Totally Cool Walks by, Cuz That’s a Bad Ass Background.<div align="center" class="MsoNormal">
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Street Photography:
Standing in the Same Spot, on the Same Street, in the Same City, Til Someone
Totally Cool Walks by, Cuz That’s a Bad Ass Background.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It
was a warm afternoon last August, when I stumbled upon a really cool mural on
the corner of Brattle and Church Streets in Harvard Square, in the home of “Our
Fair City” as Click and Clack refer to it. (That’s Cambridge, Massachusetts for
those of you ‘from away’, or who have yet to experience the joy that is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Car Talk</i> on Public Radio). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
side of a building was painted a deep purple with an intricate white schooner painted
on the right side. Tons of converging lines and shapes and interesting details
created what would become a perfect canvas for the day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As
I stood on the opposite corner watching walkers unknowingly pass right through
the artwork they were helping to create, I noticed that their silhouettes
popped. The scene became less about the subjects and more about how they interacted
with the shapes in the mural behind them: The stunning red head’s hair blowing
in the wind, the young blonde with her funky top and oversized bag, the buff
dude in his tight t-shirt and ripped biceps. Alone, these young urbanites would
have made for interesting shots. After all, interesting people are typically
what make interesting street photography. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">However,
by sticking to one background for all my shots, something quite different
happened. Something unique. The photo now focused more on the personality of
the person. The background now acted as a canvas for a new mural, one created
by the photographer and the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The
next time you’re wandering around town looking for cool street photography
subjects, remember sometimes the best subjects actually start with the best
background. Don’t be afraid to chill on a street corner waiting for your
perfect canvas to emerge.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2113528781115330134.post-8823199214488098562013-10-29T20:55:00.003-04:002013-11-17T22:37:09.887-05:00A Bird’s Eye View. Or Not.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</div>
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">A Bird’s Eye View. Or Not</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">.</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Birds
fly. And, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, they just sit there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Some
amateur photographers get stuck in an ‘<i>I’m
totally the next NatGeo Wildlife Photographer</i>’ mindset forgetting that some
of the coolest wildlife shots don't come from pointing their lens up to the sky waiting
for the once-was-but-no-longer-is endangered bald eagle to take off from his
roost. Sometimes, you should just sit down with your feathered friends and hang
out for awhile and see what happens. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">This
is what I did on a recent trip to the Fishing Pier on Sanibel Island, Florida.
While all the other photographers were capturing birds in flight (bif), I sauntered
over to a group of Snowy Egrets (<i>Egretta
thula-for those especially geeked out on hanging on to Latin names for no apparent
reason</i>) and sat down among them on the shoreline. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">I
was very quiet. I moved slowly. I didn’t lift my camera for a good ten to
fifteen minutes. I just sat there, as if I had been invited over for a
late-morning iced tea. I watched them scratch and sniff and taunt and tease and
flutter and flit. They took off and landed. They walked in and out of the
water’s edge no less than a hundred times. I waited. I let them get used to me.
And, me used to them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">When
the light was right and the orchestra of birds had aligned themselves in front
of me, I picked up my camera and took a few shots. Then, I waited. And watched.
And waited some more. And when a new configuration caught my eye, I took my shot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">After
checking out some ‘just ok’ shots in my viewfinder, I realized that positioning
the bright blue sky behind their snowy white feathers would give the photos that added punch they needed. I focused on the bird closest to me to get some nice
depth of field on his friends behind him and set my camera down on the sand
(don’t freak out), and took a couple more shots. It turns out these were some
of my favorites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
a moment of sheer delight, an enormous Egretta thula (just making sure you’re still
paying attention) flew in for a landing right in front of me. I captured a unique
bird-coming-in-for-landing angle that I wouldn’t have captured had I not been
sitting on the sand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">When
shooting birds, just remember -- Sometimes they fly...</span><span style="font-size: 21px;">a</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;">nd sometimes they just sit there.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->willard~beach~girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11386329066581917719noreply@blogger.com1