barren nights
- Thread starter whippoorbill
- Start date
i thought that thing was just for finding stones.never occured to me i cold use it to find my way out.
al
al
With other photos, if I can create a subtle edge that makes the photo more of a representation of what I saw, then add a dream-like quality -- something that I also experience in the field -- by golly, I'm gonna do it.
Very well said Bill. I jazz up the color saturation on many of my photos too for the same purpose. I just cannot get on camera what I see with my eye.
I'm just beginning to see, now I'm on my way
It doesn't matter to me, chasing the clouds away.
Something, calls to me,
The trees are drawing me near, I've got to find out why.
Those gentle voices I hear, explain it all with a sigh.
Excellant shot! The water front and center draws the eye in.
Tuesday Afternoon was the very first 45 record I ever bought. In Presidential Lakes, in the late 60's, when the jukebox records were changed out, you could buy the old ones for a quarter(?). I used my paperboy money. I played it 50 times when it was in the box, so why not another 150 at home? I love that song. I especially like the part where you have to time the music to ensure you can chime in correctly to sing along....."I'm looking at myself, reflections of my mind, its just the kind of day to leave myself behind"
Freezing both sets of cheeks off today down at the shore, which had me longing for spring. Once home, I looked up a few friends I spent some intimate moments with during their breeding season, giving each tips on picking up chicks. I miss 'em, so I made this collage.
Aren't they beautiful? Hurry up, March.
Whip
Aren't they beautiful? Hurry up, March.
Whip
island hopping
Alfie stuck a GPS in my hand today -- first time I've held one in my life -- in an attempt to get me to go in a straight line. Usually, my camera is my compass and Al, these past Tuesdays, has tired of seeing our tracks look like a series of Zs. He challenged me to find an "island" (literally a patch of high ground surrounded by swamps, a land feature Al has forever been fascinated with). I led the way.
"Does this thing take pictures?"
"By golly! It's led me straight to a lovely patch of high ground!"
King of the GPS!
Al surveys island for potential development.
next course plotted
Lunch-time. Al forages for food and comes up with some wintergreen and a rabbit pellet.
emergence!
We reached the next island, well within din-range of a civil war of sorts between deer hunters and, well, the deer. There was a group of 60,000 soldiers that were lined up on 206, up a couple sand roads, and they had the back sides covered, too. Any white-tailed species (I left my pants on) had no chance. Whilst bullets whistled over my head (and Al further explored), I laid down for a nap.
views from my pine pillow
out like a light
Once a year, I hand the camera over to Mr. GPS and he photographs me eating a raw cranberry, fresh & wet from a bog. Until this year, I have not been able to keep a straight face while chewing this horrible tasting poison. This year, I became a real man. I kept a non-pussed expression! Look! It is impossible to tell I'm eating a raw cranberry. (I'm so proud of myself.)
We then visited the Swamp Monster. Al's a mechanic, and he wanted to fix it.
A failed attempt to start it up.
Back to its owner's manual.
"What'll happen if I connect this with this?"
He fixed it!
We drove the Swamp Monster to one last bog (no island involved) before calling it a day.
last light
Thanks for looking,
Bill
Alfie stuck a GPS in my hand today -- first time I've held one in my life -- in an attempt to get me to go in a straight line. Usually, my camera is my compass and Al, these past Tuesdays, has tired of seeing our tracks look like a series of Zs. He challenged me to find an "island" (literally a patch of high ground surrounded by swamps, a land feature Al has forever been fascinated with). I led the way.
"Does this thing take pictures?"
"By golly! It's led me straight to a lovely patch of high ground!"
King of the GPS!
Al surveys island for potential development.
next course plotted
Lunch-time. Al forages for food and comes up with some wintergreen and a rabbit pellet.
emergence!
We reached the next island, well within din-range of a civil war of sorts between deer hunters and, well, the deer. There was a group of 60,000 soldiers that were lined up on 206, up a couple sand roads, and they had the back sides covered, too. Any white-tailed species (I left my pants on) had no chance. Whilst bullets whistled over my head (and Al further explored), I laid down for a nap.
views from my pine pillow
out like a light
Once a year, I hand the camera over to Mr. GPS and he photographs me eating a raw cranberry, fresh & wet from a bog. Until this year, I have not been able to keep a straight face while chewing this horrible tasting poison. This year, I became a real man. I kept a non-pussed expression! Look! It is impossible to tell I'm eating a raw cranberry. (I'm so proud of myself.)
We then visited the Swamp Monster. Al's a mechanic, and he wanted to fix it.
A failed attempt to start it up.
Back to its owner's manual.
"What'll happen if I connect this with this?"
He fixed it!
We drove the Swamp Monster to one last bog (no island involved) before calling it a day.
last light
Thanks for looking,
Bill
As always a great and very entertaining trip report Bill. I look very forward to these weekly excursions you and Al make. My favorite line was "Any white-tailed species (I left my pants on) had no chance." Good one!
Bill
Bill
I am striving to make Billy a self sufficient navigator so he can roam freely the barrens without me and not just familiar roads.I do believe he needs a crash course in map and compass orienteering also because batteries do die and satellites do occasionally fall from the heavens.He plans on getting a gps shortly so I was running him through the paces.After island hopping we had some time left so he asked to see the swamp monster.Never did I have any intention of fixing it but one thing led to another and after 30 plus years when it roared to life I was engulfed in smoke and squealing like a banshee i was so excited.We headed in an undisclosed direction and made it perhaps half a mile or better when the beast suddenly discovered it's track was broken and it really shouldnt be moving at all,much like a person running on a broken leg till they realize it's broken.Then it promptly refused to move so I shut it down and left it where it sits.To close friends I will pass on the new coords,I hope no one is mad because we moved it.Since their was no battery I had billy rub my head vigorously with a wool mitten and i touched spark plug and it miraculously came to life when the static spark arced to it.All those geocachers after the cache on it will be really sore about this and i must say i am so sorry...NOT!
As to the cranberry episode Bill is now only the second person besides myslef that can bite into a raw cranberry and not so much as flinch a facial muscle (please humor him,I swore to him he did it.)He did agree the teaberry was much better.i couldn't get him to try the little m& m's beside it.
All in all a good day for all except with the close encounter with hunters who were trying to save us from their own incompetence by repeatedly warning us almost threateningly that we should have blaze orange on weather we were hunting or not for our own safety.Me and billy are both 5'10" and wearing glasses,i guess we do resemble white tail deer quite a bit.These hunters were obviously from ny by their accent and i do understand how they can come down once a year for a week and totally take over the barrens because they have guns and can stand in two opposing lines and chase deer toward each other and then upon siting one shoot toward each other in a sucidial ritual called a drive each year and they treated us as if stupid because we forgot our orange beanies.I have no problem at all with hunting.used to do it myself on occasion but i have no use for driving and definitely not for one week a year warriors who think they can take over the woods because their armed and definitely dangerous to everyone including themselves.I thought you were actually supposed to be able to identify the sex of the deer before you shoot it.I have no antlers,they should've known we were does.
Al
As to the cranberry episode Bill is now only the second person besides myslef that can bite into a raw cranberry and not so much as flinch a facial muscle (please humor him,I swore to him he did it.)He did agree the teaberry was much better.i couldn't get him to try the little m& m's beside it.
All in all a good day for all except with the close encounter with hunters who were trying to save us from their own incompetence by repeatedly warning us almost threateningly that we should have blaze orange on weather we were hunting or not for our own safety.Me and billy are both 5'10" and wearing glasses,i guess we do resemble white tail deer quite a bit.These hunters were obviously from ny by their accent and i do understand how they can come down once a year for a week and totally take over the barrens because they have guns and can stand in two opposing lines and chase deer toward each other and then upon siting one shoot toward each other in a sucidial ritual called a drive each year and they treated us as if stupid because we forgot our orange beanies.I have no problem at all with hunting.used to do it myself on occasion but i have no use for driving and definitely not for one week a year warriors who think they can take over the woods because their armed and definitely dangerous to everyone including themselves.I thought you were actually supposed to be able to identify the sex of the deer before you shoot it.I have no antlers,they should've known we were does.
Al
This painting of Al was commissioned by the Swamp Monster Historical Society soon after his repairing of the boggy beast. Signed copies are available at the Batsto Visitors Center (for $800 -- cheap!!!). Proceeds go to my personal TastyKake Acquisition Fund.
Whip
Whip
That does look like a painting of him. Not sure if i would pay $800 but i will buy you a TastyKake. He was very lucky to get it started since Jessica tried her best the first time we were there with no luck. She said something about Al taking the spark plugs or maybe it was the engine. Not really sure.
Guy
Guy
I've believe I've said it before. You two are the best. Your antics have got to be a trip and the way you bring the tale back to us is a treat.
The hunters, I doubt they knew what to make of you and besides, this week the woods were disgraced with club hunts. I'm so glad that's over.
You two, and the deer were the only normal ones out there.
Keep the tales, and the pics coming.
g.
The hunters, I doubt they knew what to make of you and besides, this week the woods were disgraced with club hunts. I'm so glad that's over.
You two, and the deer were the only normal ones out there.
Keep the tales, and the pics coming.
g.
Largo,
If you were aware of the literary diet Mr. Whippoorbill routinely indulges his imagination in you would understand what realms his mind dwells in.He has passed some of his favorite books onto me and I thought if i could just digest these writings i would acquire a glimpse of the mysterious Whippoorbills mind.What I saw there gave me the most awful fright I have ever lived through.I promptly returned the book and left Mr. Whppoorbills brain to himself.You've seen how he takes my Adonis like features and twists them into morbid wraiths of his vile imaginings.I fear that you are encouraging him and theirs no telling where his twisted little mind will take him.I cannot conceive what his next batch of pictures of our next tuesday outing will consist of.He is already unhappy with me for being man enough to down a raw cranberry without so much as a flinch,I fear revenge in behind his camera lens and he has only just begun.Just beware of the beast within him your encouragement fans the flames of.
Till next Tuesday,
Manumuskin
I laid some of my heaviest contemporary fiction on him -- John Barth's Letters is the one that chewed him up and spit him out -- only to earn some respect. Al is, as I've told him, quite loquacious, can read most books and recite them word-for-word ten years later, but does have a there/their/they're issue.
He also likes to pick on me (as this never-ending thread repeatedly reveals). I've been pumping iron and, when I feel strong enough, will take him on.
You don't want none of this Billy!When I lay this Adonis like belly on you that'll be all she wrote. I have a compass in one hand and a gps in the other and a map between my teeth! Bring on Whippyerbutt! Remember!
"It ain't over till the fat piney sings"!
"It ain't over till the fat piney sings"!
Bill, Don't try to take him out at the knees, years of locating stones with them probably have toughened them up! I have a feeling this battle will include eye-pokes, crowbars to the head and possibly a pipewrench twisting a nose! I can't wait to see tomorrows report.
Al's a war veteran and has been combat trained. I, on the other hand, am pretty much a pacifist, so my goal is to simply humiliate. For this, I'll have to use my brain (yes, the very same organ my foe slices up in an above post).
Yer right, Tom. Plan considered, I won't go for his knees. Actually, my strategy is to keep my distance and pellet Alfie with raw cranberries (orally propelled through a straw) from a safe location behind the biggest pine tree I can find. When he's all "red"-ded up, I'll take a pic and distort the heck out of it! Yes!!!
Sadly, tomorrow's trip has been canceled -- this is due to the weather and Alfie has the sniffles. Next Tuesday is out, too -- I have to work; our next trip probably won't be until 2009. This is a good thing. I'll have time to concentrate on my weight-lifting program, which is geared toward building more strength to pea-shoot my weapons.
Whip