April 03rd, 2019

Can you stand to hear about yet another photo safari?    We just can't get enough of 'em.

We are trying to cram in as many as possible before Joy and Bob leave for Yellowstone so I'm reasonably certain that there will be at least one more and then none for about six long months.  A safari drought!

There were two different things on this particular safari.  One is that we started out in a brand new park.  I mean, the trees were probably always there, as was the river, the bugs, the birds etc. etc.  But the official Park-ness of it all is new.  In fact the dedication isn't until tomorrow.  We jumped the gun a little bit. 

I read an article about it in our local newspaper and kind of did a mental blink.  How on earth did I not know about this park?  Especially since it's just down the street from another preserve that we often hike!  I mapped it online so that I had an idea of where it was and as soon as Joy walked through the door yesterday, I told her about it. She said, "Let's go!"  She's always up for a new adventure!  It's part of her charm :)

The other new thing, you might have noticed in that photo of me (where upon reflection, I kind of look like a street urchin don't I?  With my baggy shirt and nifty rain jacket tied 'round my waist?  I really ought to step up my hiking attire)  Anyway, please note, in the picture I am using an ACTUAL camera and not just the camera on my phone!  That's certainly different for me!

It's actually not my camera, it's Joys but she, very kindly, is loaning it to me to allow me to try to get the hang of using a real camera again.  Tim has offered on many occasions to buy me a real camera but I am spoiled and lazy with my phone camera.  I say lazy because I already know how to use my phone camera y'see,  if I only use that, I don't have to learn anything new.  That is the absolute definition of lazy!

But, in all truth, part of my concern with a new camera was, could my crookedy, wierd, arthritic hands use a nice camera ...and here is the important part...without dropping and therefore breaking it.  It's a real concern.  Joy wasn't worried about me using this cute little yellow one because she claims that it is Sam-proof!  She bought it years ago specifically for a trip that she and Bob took to Fiji and that area.  It's water proof and shock proof and supposedly, also, Sam proof.  I was very hesitant to even hold it in my clumsy hands, but Joy appeared to have no concerns about it at all. So let the experiment begin!

Back to the new park.  It's a gorgeous place with nice wide trails and excercise stations.  (??)  It's not just a hiking trail, it's also a fitness park!  There are at least 20 fitness stations, a couple of them we even tried out (what the heck, there were only birds and lizards around to laugh at us).   We were warned by one fellow hiker that rattlesnakes have been seen in the area so we were far more cautious than usual about venturing off-trail.

But we did get some great photos anyway.  One of our favourite discoveries were caterpillars.  Lots of them!  Fuzzywuzzy adorable caterpillars with voracious appetites!  They were absolutely oblivious to our presence and just munchmunchmunching their way through every leaf they could find, getting ready for chrysalis time! They were so stinkin' cute!

We also saw, for the first time, I think, ladybugs!  So many lady bugs.  Also adorable.  It was cute stuff day, I guess.  Pretty flowers and interesting vines and dragonflies (that I still haven't managed to photograph) and well, it was a great hiking and picture taking day. Despite the sporadic rain sprinkles and the cloudy weather and potential of rattlesnakes (ick) we had a wonderful time. As we always do :)

I didn't drop the little yellow camera once, I'm proud to say, but then I also used the attached loop to hang it 'round my wrist like a giant charm bracelet!  Hey, it worked!  About half of the above pictures were taken with the the loaner camera and half with my phone camera.  It will take some time to really get the hang of using a different picture taking device, but I'm up to the challenge!

I will keep working with it and see how good I do (or don't) get with it and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to try before I buy!  

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure that we will get at least one more photography hike in before she leaves, so be prepared for one more session of this kind of stuff!

And meanwhile, everyone, please have a spectacular day today!