photography

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By Who Walked This Path?

Jordan Lake State Park: When I was a youngster (knee-high to a grasshopper my mom would have said) my dad taught me how to understand the tracks of the forest floors and river sands. So one early morning last week I was wandering the shore of the lake and came upon two tracks. The first track you will probably notice is the fresh imprint of the front foot of a raccoon. The other outline is from the shod foot of a human. The human trod the path first and the raccoon wandered through later. Sidewalks and paved roads don’t hold onto stories that can be read in this way. I enjoyed reading this natural page.

By My Friend Needs Help…

Jordan Dam, Haw River: I had seen the black vulture flock come into the parking lot earlier.  They are always looking for left over hotdogs and fried chicken pieces. They are quite adept at taking the lids off the trashcans and helping themselves to the human throw-aways that are inside.  My attention was drawn back to the vultures when I heard the lid of the trashcan hit the pavement.  I started photographing as one of the younger vultures noticed the sign … I could almost hear him thinking, “my friend is stuck in the trashcan, he needs help, and well, just how am I supposed to dial 911 when I don’t have an iPhone?”.  I put my camera down, quietly walked up on the flock, gently tipped the trashcan over on its side freeing the vulture inside of it. The flock chirred their thanks and we watched the embarrassed vulture walk away.  Sometimes, you just never know what will happen at the lake…

By Blue Air, Water, Heron

Jordan Lake, Haw River: Great blue herons are actually gray, until, just until you see them, literally in the right light. Such as finding this fledgling great blue heron this morning in the shadows of the banks of the riprap as the sun had fully cleared the horizon. Azure blue air, water and heron!

By Burnished River Sunrise

Jordan Lake Dam, Haw River, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Sometimes, sometimes something magical happens. And by luck or grace I get to photograph a river burnished by the rising sun. An ornament appears, a summer cloud brought to earth and soundlessly flying above the water. This is a great egret. It came in from the lake and up over the dam and floated past me as I stood at the riprap on the Haw River. Magic! Take care, be safe and oh, be well.