"Be-free-you-fool, be-free-you-fool
She sings all afternoon
Then, as if to show me how it's done,
She leaps into the blue."
    ~Richard Shindell, "So Says The Whippoorwill"

I awoke early this last day of April to the strong smell of smoke permeating the house, the yard, the street, the county. All around me the fires of a history-making dry spring are blazing. It makes the first and last light an odd hue, as though the horsemen of the apocalypse were riding hard through parched dustbowls. Florida burns.

A quick paddle to Wiggins Pass tonight. Dry thunder boomed in the east, born somewhere over the parched Everglades. It echoed out to sea and reminded me that summer will soon be here and rain will fall once again. Without a doubt, we'll be tilting our heads quizzically to the sky again, wondering when the rains and winds will stop.

A strong falling tide swept leaves and baitfish out into the Gulf, leaving sandbars and tide flats for birds who gathered to work the small swarms of remaining fish. Dinner at the Pass. I never tire of this flurry of fishing artistry.

Home and the nearly-full moon rises behind plumes of smoke and clouds. It is eerily beautiful. I think of this simple act of floating with tides, then paddling hard against them. Each has its own reward; its own freedom; its own sense of faith in the direction ahead.

Leaps of faith. Full moon paddles into the sunset of fires.  Freedom.

We are never alone.

nikon d2x, nikkor 80-400 vr @  400mm, 1/1250, f/16

"I rejoice that there are owls. They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all have."
     ~Henry David Thoreau

I haven't entered anything in my f/stops journal for quite some time. Life. Life can be distracting.

Despite having two new (to me) flash manuals to read (sb-24 and sb-28) as well as a mountain of other chores, I was lured out of my office late in the afternoon by two birding friends who had agreed to go on a burrowing owl hunt with me. (Read burrowing owl facts here)

Taking a photographer along on such an excursion can be an act of pure friendship. Too often, being with someone who is lost in the camera and lens glued to her face can be a lot like watching paint dry. I lose track of time; they tap toes wondering if I'll ever give up the quest for a perfect shot. I'm blessed with such patient friends. It was a completely marvelous experience.

And really, what's not to marvel at? These birds are nine inches of cute personified. The late afternoon light was liquid gold. Couples or singles, they all seemed to like hanging out in the last light of the day right outside their burrows. Their remarkably dirty legs and talons made me giggle. A bashful but cooperative bunch, some even seemed to like posing for me. Truly, some of the easiest and most intriguing subjects I've photographed in some time.

A couple of fire ant bites, way too many sand burrs, a fine fish dinner at a funky waterfront seafood joint and nearly 400 shots later, we were headed home, grateful for the day and these special moments of memories created, deliciously tired friends full of joy.

nikon d2x, nikkor 80-400 vr @  400mm, 1/500, f/7.1