What I Won't Do For a Picture

I've awaken hours before sunrise on several occasions . . . I've frozen my fingers and butt off . . . I hiked all alone in the pitch dark braving the wild moose in Maine . . . Last week I got half naked in my office . . . And this weekend I did something that I swore I would never ever do again - EVER . . . all for the sake of getting some pictures.

Yesterday we took a hike down to the river with the dogs. It never occurs to me to bring my camera along because it's the same old scenery that I see every day on this same old hike. It's all getting very ho hum. But yesterday's conditions were a bit different than the usual. Because of all the recent rain we've had the river was flowing much fuller and swifter than normal AND it was very cloudy and overcast. This is the perfect recipe for long exposure silky water photos. Dammit. Why didn't I just bring the darn thing? It's a good 10-15 minute hike to get back to the house and then I would have to do the entire hike all over again. But I was willing, especially since the day was nearing an end and I had yet to take my 'picture of the day.'

I announced to Karlo that I was going to re-do the hike by myself to shoot the river. I wasn't about to ask him to come with me since the poor guy had been working like a dog (yeah right. I mean working like a draft horse) all day long and he was pooped. But Karlo, being the loyal companion he is, offered to drive me back down to the river on the ATV. Gulp. Do I DARE get on the back of that thing again? I dreaded it and I really didn't want to, but since Karlo was being so nice to offer to do this for me, and I made him promise to go easy, I agreed.

It was a mistake. I was still terrified. And this time it was even worse because I had my precious camera and tripod with me, not leaving me many hands to hold on with. I couldn't help thinking about all the guests we've had that have gone on ATV rides with Karlo (Penni excluded of course) that come back out of the woods with huge grins on their faces, wanting to do it all over again. God bless them. You ain't catching me on that thing again - at least not on the back of it. I made it three quarters of the way to the river before I insisted that he stop and let me off. I could only take so much of the off-trail woods blazing.

And here are a few more of the pretty shots I got.