burnt

This is for photrablogger’s Mundane Monday #129.

We were two of the three first responders to a house fire across the street and two doors down two weekends ago. The house was an inferno when we got there. Both the resident and two cats got out. The fire was in the morning. We returned in the evening and walked around. It is terrifying to see what melts, what explodes, how fast the destruction can happen.

And sending love to the injured and lost in Las Vegas and still thinking of all of the hurricane victims.

I wish today were mundane.

groom

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Our heron keeps an eye on us, her paparazzi, but begins to groom her feathers in the early morning fun. I am thinking about keeping my balance on the branch, way up in the air, and then I cannot do that with my neck. She is amazing! And so calm and relaxed moving on a high branch in the tree.

For the Daily Prompt: athletic. I wish I were that strong and limber.

zoom

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Oh, hoorah for zoom lenses, because I feel like I am standing on another branch to photograph our heron. My friend goes to the other side of the tree and I work my way around. We are great blue heron paparazzi, in love with our subject, taking picture after picture.

However, we did not get her to fly from the dock. That was another boat arriving and a person walking out.

 

tall tree

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Our heron flew to these trees: see? I crop the photo and there she is.

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I am saying she, but I don’t know. For so long we have used “he” to mean both he and she. Let’s reverse that for the next 2000 years, use “she” to mean both she and he. Turn around is fair, right?

And those are really big trees. She doesn’t look so out of place standing there. Nor would I have noticed her if I had not followed her flight.

flight

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For the Daily Prompt: coincidence. I had my camera ready and caught this. Coincidence or skill? Some of each, and trying to catch birds in flight is very much like trying to catch synchronized swimmers out of the water. I photographed synchro for seven years.