DESPITE A DISMALLY COLD DAMP DAY WE GOT A FOREST WALK IN ANYWAY

Well let me start this post off with a description of today’s weather using the ‘D’ word.  Dismal, dull, depressing, disconsolate, dark, dreary, desolate, depressive and dire.  Okay boys and girls now let’s put all those descriptive words into a sentence shall we and let’s keep them in order…..”Woke up this morning in a dismal, dull, depressing mood followed by disconsolate dark and dreary thoughts leaving me in a depressive state bordering on dire consequences”.  Okay Okay, it wasn’t all that bad but it at least took a few minutes out of the otherwise long day putting the words together. 

THREE AMIGOS

A few weeks ago in the pet section isle of Walmart I stood looking over bags of birdseed trying to decide which one to purchase.  A couple came walking along the and the man leaned over and said to me as they passed, “you can buy better quality birdseed at Sun Country in Clinton and cheaper too.  Not being sure about what he said I did buy a bag of Walmart birdseed and headed home, but I never forgot what that fellow said.  This morning Pheebs and stopped at Clinton’s Sun Country and what a pleasant surprise it was to find a nice little store with friendly staff too.  Neat, clean, well organized, and they had a lot more than just birdseed.  Pet food, pet toys, and all kinds of birdfeeders etc.  And they are knowledgeable about what they sell and are Canadian products oriented.  I liked how the various types of seeds were mixed and packaged.  And the chap in the Walmart isle a few weeks ago was right about the prices too.  I will definitely be buying my birdseed there from now on:))

WITH SEED FROM SUN COUNTRY I HUNG UP OUR FINCH FEEDER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS AND WITHIN TWENTY MINUTES I HAD GOLDFINCHES AT IT

 

From Sun Country we headed south out of Clinton on highway 4 with our destination being the Bannockburn Conservation Area  No cars in the parking lot at the trailhead so off Pheebs and went for a walk in the wind protected forest.  Only sounds I heard was snow crunching underneath my boots and an occasional Blue Jay.  A couple babbling creeks join up here and it was nice to hear gurgling water tumbling over scattered rocks in the shallow creek bed.  Not a long walk but any walk for my legs is better than no walk.

HEADING OFF FOR A WALK

RUNNING ON A SNOWY BOARDWALK

 

‘COME ON DAD LET’S GO THIS WAY’

WITH THOSE STEPS BEING SLIPPERY WET AND ICY I DECIDED NOT TO GO THAT WAY

FROZEN ICICLES HANGING FROM AN OLD IRON BRIDGE WALKWAY

Home about 10:30, tended to the birdfeeders, came inside and that was it.  It was a damp cold outside and wanting no part of that I tucked myself away again in our warm and cozy sunroom.

‘OH GEEZZZZ HOW DID THAT TURTLE GET UP HERE CHIUCK?  ‘NOT A TURTLE BUZZ, IT’S THAT MOTOR MUNCHING MOURNING DOVE HUNKERED DOWN EATING UP ALL THE SEEDS AGAIN’

‘HEY THOSE ARE MY SEEDS YOUR EATING!!!!!!’

‘IT’S YOUR TURN, NO IT’S YOUR TURN’

CLEAR THE TRACK HERE COMES SHACK

OH-NO HE TOOK A HEADER INTO THE SNOW BANK AGAIN

Because of my poor short term memory I naturally forget things and it’s a daily issue with me.  Because I am always fiddling with settings on my camera I have a bad habit of forgetting to return those settings to a remembered default position.  Normally I set my ISO at 800 and leave it there unless for some reason it requires a change.  I don’t know when, and I can’t remember why I set my ISO to 5000 but apparently I did.  Have been noticing my bird photos were looking grainy buy my brain didn’t tap me on the shoulder and tell me to check my ISO setting.  I never caught on until lining up a creek photo on a specified aperture setting this morning that I noticed in the digital viewfinder the shutter speed for that aperture was waaaaay to high.  What the heck??  First thing I checked was my ISO setting and there it was….5000.  Forgetting to regularly check camera settings is a real bug-a-boo for me.  My Nikon D7200 does great on Automatic most times but not all the time and that’s when I override it, change settings, and get myself into trouble. 

 

While on the subject of photos I’d like to thank everyone for their kind comments on my pictures.  I am very critical of my stuff and know my photos are not up to par when I see what the professionals and various camera club people are doing.  I have to keep reminding myself that I am simply a photoist of opportunity and not a perfectionist striving for the absolute best possible results from any one particular photo.  As long as my blog readers enjoy the photos I am able to grab while out and about most every day then that is good enough for me.  It keeps my photography hobby light and easy as well as stress free.  And for me it is important to do it that way.  Thanks again folks:))

‘AHEM’

‘DID YOU HEAR SOMETHING BILL?’  ‘NO CAN’T SAY  I DID’

‘OHHH SO THAT’S WHAT I HEARD’

‘IGNORE HIM FRANK IT’S JUST PESKY RED’

‘HERE’S MY IMPRESSION OF A ROBIN LISTENING FOR A WORM’

At the time of posting tonight it’s snowing like the drats.  Makes me think of my first paragraph all over again.   Maybe we’ll see some Sun tomorrow and all rush out of our houses and homes and stand transfixed with eyes to the skies gazing in wonderment at the great orb of brightness above us.  Then again………I think back once more to my first paragraph:))

‘OKAY SO THIS IS MY IMPRESSION OF A CHICKEN’

A TRIO OF MOURING DOVES

SO WHICH ONE OF YOU TWO DOCILE DOVES WANTS TO LEARN THE ‘ONE FOOT WATUSI’

‘ALRIGHT ALRIGHT FORGET IT LET’S JUST HAVE SOME SEEDS  BEFORE MY WIFE GETS HERE……OH-OH  TOO LATE I HEAR HER COMING!!

‘OKAY CLASS, TODAY I ‘M GOING TO TELL YOU WHY IT’S GREAT BEING A BIG BRIGHT RED CARDINAL AND NOT SOME WUSSY LITTLE GRAY FRECKLE HEADED SPARROW TYPE’’

Facebook seems focused on 2011 and again today sent me notice of where we were and what we were doing 7 years ago today.  It seems we climbed Grosvenors Arch south of Cannonville Utah.  It was my second time atop the Arch having first climbed up there back in May of 1992.

THIS WAS BACK IN THE DAYS WE DROVE A LTTLE HYUNDAI SANTA FE….GREAT CAR BUT IT WASN’T FOUR WHEEL DRIVE

WORKING OUR WAY AROUND TO THE BACK OF THE ARCH WHERE THERE IS A REASONABLY EASY CLIMBING  WALK TO THE TOP

THE ROAD TO KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK AND CANNONVILLE IS VISIBLE TOP RIGHT

COMING DOWN WAS TRICKY DUE TO LOOSE SHALE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos then you probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity

Plagiarism saves time.

If at first you don't succeed, try management.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.

Teamwork means never having to take all the blame yourself.

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.

We waste time, so you don't have to.

Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away! 

Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.

A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.

When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.I

indecision is the key to flexibility. 

Succeed in spite of management.  Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment

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Q. Have you heard of the dyslexic cow who attained true enlightenment?  A. It kept on repeating OOOOMMM!

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