In Memory of Tiger

Posted by dkrashb on April 20, 2013

A comforting friend during a stressful time (Tisen at the vet with Tiger)

The Tyger

-William Blake

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Tiger can be partially seen at the far left

With great sadness, I write of the loss of Tiger. Tiger was one of our small, furry family members. Tiger was a good friend to Tisen. He patiently allowed Tisen to carry him around like a doll–never complaining or even struggling.

Sadly, Tiger disappeared about 3 days ago. He’d accompanied Tisen on a walk, hanging from Tisen’s mouth when last seen. He then disappeared somewhere in the park. Several searches failed to find Tiger; we’ve decided it’s time to acknowledge Tiger is gone for good.

Our Tiger didn’t have such a fearful symmetry–his long and floppy legs wouldn’t hold his weight, let alone allow him to spring unexpectedly upon prey. He didn’t strike fear in anyone’s heart. I suppose the silly expression undermined ferocity.

Tiger looks like he’s wearing a hat, but it’s really Duck behind him

Around here, Tiger wasn’t valued for his fierceness–he was valued for his squeak. He was a Tisen favorite. Unfortunately, Tisen got hot while carrying Tiger and set him down so he could pant. Mommy wasn’t paying attention and we’d made a lap around the park before it dawned on Mommy that someone was missing.

My favorite Tiger story is from about 6 months ago. I was walking through the park and Tisen had dropped Tiger on that day as well. I’d picked up Tiger and then run into a man with his dog. We exchanged greetings and dog information and then he went on his way.

In a recent family portrait, Tisen seemed to seek Tiger out

A few minutes later, Tisen decided he wanted to carry Tiger again. We walked along at a quick pace with Tisen proudly holding Tiger in his mouth. We caught up to the man and his dog in the process. When the man saw Tisen with Tiger, he burst out laughing and said, “Oh! That’s his tiger! I was wondering!” Proof that when I suspected people thought I suffered from a disorder that caused me to compulsively carry stuffed animals, I wasn’t being paranoid.

I will miss having people wonder why I am carrying a stuffed Tiger with me through the park. Tisen, however, seems to have moved on–he happily grabbed Hedge Hog when Tiger was no where to be found.

The first time Twiggy came to visit, she put Tiger in her pile

Mini Macro

Posted by dkrashb on April 19, 2013

This flower was about 1/2″ across in person–iPhone with macro lens attached

This morning, when my alarm went off at 5:15, I decided I didn’t want to get back into my full-blown exercise routine too quickly. After all, biking and rowing 3x in a week after several months off is a pretty strong start. I re-set the alarm for 7:00AM instead of going for my bike ride.

About as tight as I could get with my 100-400mm lens on my DSLR

When my alarm went off the second time, I was sound asleep and dreaming–it was as if 5 minutes had passed from the first alarm. I felt like I could have slept another 7 hours easily. But, this time I dragged myself out of bed.

The same flower as above shot with the iPhone with the macro lens attached

Since I need to try to bump up my bird count for the Birdathon and there was a storm yesterday, I took my binoculars and camera on Tisen’s walk. Bird migration often follows cold fronts moving in and sometimes birds literally blow into an area during high winds. However, when I got downstairs, I realized the temperature hadn’t actually dropped any. I prepared myself for disappointment.

Water droplets covered these tall grasses

Not a single bird I hadn’t been seeing for weeks presented itself. Tisen was disappointed, too. He wanted to turn around and go back inside immediately. Seems like he’s been nervous ever since the storm moved through last night, bringing lightening and thunder. It’s almost as if he thinks there is a causal effect between walking in the park and thunderstorms.

I couldn’t get far enough away from this violet to frame it properly with the macro attachment on the iPhone

As a result of the lack of birds, I decided to photograph the amazing beads of water on some grass. The problem with this decision was that I had my 100-400mm lens on my camera. The 100-400mm lens is not the lens I would choose for shooting subjects like water droplets. For starters, it has a minimum focusing distance of about 5 feet. That means I can’t shoot from closer than 5 feet away.

More water-covered grass

It’s kind of tough to get interesting shots of water beads from 5 feet away, even at 400mm. The second problem is that shooting at 400mm while hand-holding requires a really fast shutter speed. Especially since there was still quite a bit of wind. I managed to get a very fast shutter speed by setting a slightly higher ISO and opening the aperture all the way (the max is f/5.6 at 400mm). While I wouldn’t hang these on the wall, I do like that you can see the coating of water droplets on the blades of grass.

Brightly lit yellow flower shot with iPhone and macro attachment

This evening, I decided to try out my macro lens attachment on my iPhone to see how it compared. Interestingly, auto focus doesn’t work. In case you were wondering how you manually focus an iPhone, you moved the phone further and closer until you find the point where the image is sharp. This is much easier to achieve when Tisen isn’t pulling on the leash, determined to get back home. But, with a tripod, the iPhone might have done better than the 100-400mm lens did in some cases.

Tisen seems very happy to be at home

Web, Wings, and Walks

Posted by dkrashb on April 18, 2013

Spider web with buildings blurred in the background

I am not obsessed–no matter what my husband claims–with birding. I have only listened to my bird song recordings a few times this season. I have only ordered one new birding-related product (a new version of birding software that let’s you quiz yourself on recognizing birds by sight and/or sound). I have gone on no long-distance trips for the purpose of birding.

spider lace

I even walk outdoors without binoculars. This is a bit foolish–especially during the birdathon when every bird counts. I keep seeing birds I can’t identify without binoculars when I don’t have them on me. But, I often forget to grab the binocs when Tisen is in a particularly big hurry to get outside. Somehow it seems wrong to ask him to cross his legs any longer than necessary while I get myself organized.

Drops reflecting the buildings outside

Today I was determined to make an evening bird walk at a marsh. I haven’t been to this marsh before and I figured there was a good chance I’d pick up a few additional species before the Birdathon ends.

Single strand of water droplets

I took Tisen for a walk before I had to leave. We made it about ¼ of the way through the park when the first clap of thunder sounded. It wasn’t even a clap; it was more of a rumble. It was enough for Tisen–he did an about-face and started pulling on the leash to head back in. Because we lost Tiger during our lunchtime walk, I wanted to continue the walk and look for him. But Tisen wasn’t missing Tiger so much. I got him to turn around and take about 3 more steps, but when the next rumble of thunder came along, he was done. We ended up jogging back up the path from whence we came.

This spider literally ran into the center of the shot as I was shooting and then ran out again

As the sky opened up, lightening bolts struck left and right, and even hail started to bounce of the windowsills, I noticed a large spider web in the window was catching raindrops. I decided to experiment with shooting it for the few minutes I had before I needed to leave. While I had a little trouble because of the background, I got a few images I like.

The Standifer Gap Marsh

By the time I needed to leave, the rain and lightening had moved on. I headed down to the garage and headed out to the other side of town for the walk. Traffic was backed up and visibility was nil. I arrived at the marsh late and then wasn’t sure where the entrance was. No one else was there. Not a big surprise considering on this side of town it was still raining and lightening every few seconds.

I got out of the car and walked about 50 yards from the car and back–just long enough to add 2 birds to my birdathon list and take a few photos with the Camera! app–my iPhone safely protected in a waterproof case while my DSLR remained sheltered in the car.

More marsh

Tisen gives Daddy a bath

Riding at Sunrise

Posted by dkrashb on April 17, 2013

Sunrise reflected on Amnicola Marsh

5:15AM didn’t seem any later this morning than it did yesterday. Especially not after a bad night’s sleep–poor Tisen started itching again in the middle of the night. But, I managed once again to get myself out of bed. Then things went a bit South.

A sculpture lurking in the dim morning light

It’s like a time warp occurs in the morning. I can look at the clock at 5:20, do a task that normally takes 5 minutes, and suddenly, it will be 5:45. By the time I’d had a cup of coffee, gotten myself together, taken Tisen for a short walk, and gathered together all of the required accessories for an early morning bike ride, it was 6:40. Then, still adjusting to having my bike in the parking garage and having to take all steal-able accessories off every time I ride, it took nearly 20 more minutes from the time I walked out our door to the time I’d finished re-accessorized my bike, unlocked it, and filled the tires.

The train crossing in morning light

At long last, I headed up the River Walk. By the time I started riding, I felt foolish for bothering with the lights–it was light enough I no longer needed them. As I made my way back across the Walnut Street Bridge and East along the Tennessee River, two Great Blue Herons flew straight at each other as if they were playing a game of chicken (I wonder if they call it “heron”?) until one suddenly swooped downward in a graceful dive, leveling out just above the water.

A Great Blue Heron perched on the rail of the pier below the bridge

As I watched, my mouth dropped open just about the time I rode through a cloud of small gnat-like critters. I guess I was hungry, but it wasn’t quite the filling snack I had in mind. I have to say I preferred the mouth full of gnats over the eyeful of gnats I got simultaneously. I rinsed my mouth with water, shut it tight, and wiped as many bugs out of my eyes as possible.

The final stretch of the River Walk

I rode as hard and as fast as I dared on the river walk–it’s not really a route conducive to riding fast, in fact, one section is posted 3-5 miles per hour. I can’t imagine it’s physically possible to ride a bike 5 mph or less, but clearly the people who built the river walk weren’t cyclists.

Can you spot the Great Blue Heron on the rocky shore?

When I came up on the Amnicola Marsh, I had to stop. The sun was rising behind the marsh, reflected in the water. 3 Canada Geese were rendered into black swans, silhouettes against the brilliant light. Near the shore, a group of Coots stretched out their gangly legs and ran back into the water as I rolled to a stop.

After taking a few photos, I remounted and made my way up to the dam. A fisherman on the pier caught something big on his line as I was turning around to return home. I wonder if it was an old tire or a giant fish?

My boy waiting patiently at home for breakfast

Ready Rower

Posted by dkrashb on April 16, 2013

Waiting for me

5:15AM seemed a little extra early this morning when the twittering of my iPhone interrupted my dream. I awoke confused, unsure of whether it was really time to get up, having just fallen into a dream state a few minutes before the alarm went off.

I got up, turned off my annoying phone and then looked back over my shoulder at the warm bed I had just left behind. My dog remained curled on his bed on the floor, snoring softly through slightly curled lips. My husband seemed oblivious to the alarm, his own snores harmonizing with my dog’s–my husband forever the musician.

The rowing center bay glows like a fireplace

I slipped back under the covers for just a few minutes. I thought about rolling over and falling back into whatever dream I had been pulled from. But then, I remembered why I’d set the alarm for 5:15AM. It was because I was going to row for the first time since last fall!

The thought of entering the river all by myself in the dark after not having rowed for months set off a new alarm, awakening the rabble of butterflies in my stomach. With so much fluttering going on, there was no possibility of going back to sleep. I decided coffee was in order.

I managed to get myself caffeinated, dressed, and assembled enough to take Tisen (who had managed to get out of bed) for a quick walk around the park. Then, I was off.

A pedestrian bridge on the river walk reflected on the water

I stuffed my rowing equipment into my saddle bags and rolled my bike out of the garage. I carried it up the flight of steps to ground level, mounted, and rolled off into the dark feeling somewhat stoic, like I was about to face an enemy.

The quick 2 mile ride to the rowing center warmed up my legs and helped me relax. The rabble in my belly died as I pumped my way up the slope of the Walnut Street Bridge looking over the stillness of the river below. I reminded myself that it wasn’t that cold. The worst thing that could happen is I could get wet. I would make it back home slightly chilled, but no worse for wear.

Looking across the rests used for sculling boats to McClellan Island

I was the first rower of the morning. I turned on the lights and tried to find my favorite boat to no avail. I found another one and quickly learned I’d forgotten the art of carrying a rowing scull, but I managed to get it out safely.

I did everything out of order, but once I was seated in the scull and rowing, it was like I hadn’t missed a week. The rhythm of legs pushing while arms pull oars through water, bending arms, straightening arms, sliding slowing back up to the catch, listening to the oars in the oarlocks and watching the Great Blue Heron soar a foot above the water all to a slow count of 4–it’s hard to imagine a better way to start a day.

One thing I forgot after a 5-month hiatus–what these things are called

Craven Birds

Posted by dkrashb on April 15, 2013

A singing Eastern Towhee may not be the most unusual sight in Tennessee, but this was the best picture I got of the day

Today was a big birding day. I got out birding with some really expert birders. We met at Cravens House on Lookout Mountain. When we arrived, I was surprised to discover that the gate to the main parking lot was still locked. I’ve never been to Cravens House when the gate was locked, but then I don’t think I’ve ever been there at 9AM on a Sunday morning, either.

Not the usual sighting on a bird walk, but seeing the include railway train pass over the trail was kind of fun

Pat and Tisen drove up with me in case no birders showed. Normally, we don’t take dogs birding. It’s just not the best mix. Even though Tisen is not a big bird chaser, a lot of birds key off the shape of a canine and go into hiding. I know this is particularly true of water fowl like geese. I haven’t really witnessed this with song birds, but since I’ve never known anyone to bring a dog on a bird walk, I don’t know that I would have noticed. The birds at Renaissance Park are so used to seeing dogs, I don’t think they’re a good test case.

Our plan was to go for a hike if no one showed and for Pat and Tisen to hike a different direction if others did show. As it turned out, Pat and Tisen took their own hike.

A large variety of Trillium whose name I don’t recall

One birder joined us who moved to Chattanooga fairly recently. He and his wife and children moved here from Seattle. He was so excited to get to go birding. He mentioned that since moving to Chattanooga he’d been a stay-at-home-dad. I think that explained his enthusiasm for getting out and doing something with adults. He was fun to bird with–he had lots of great birding stories from parts of the world like Australia.

We walked for 3 hours and saw about 34 bird species. We might have seen more had we started out on a different trail, but I didn’t know the trail we ended up on was even up there until Clyde mentioned it. Clyde is one of Chattanooga’s best birders. I love it when he comes to bird walks–I’ve never birded with anyone who can bird like him. He seems to hear or see a bird with every breath. It’s really amazing.

One of the more exciting sightings of the day–the Hooded Warbler

In any case, the Carolina Wrens and Northern Cardinals were singing so loudly that we joked we wished we had a volume control for them. Carolina Wrens are one of those birds I never tire of. Although they are so common it’s not particularly exciting to see them, their fussy little personalities and extraordinarily loud voices continue to amuse me. On the occasions when I get to see them sing, I am always impressed by the effort. Their entire body seems to throw itself into the production of sound. It’s no wonder they produce a sound that seems at least a magnitude larger than their tiny bodies.

Another favorite that turned up–an American Redstart

But today, no wrens were willing to pose for me. The best I managed to capture was a singing Towhee.

Bird (and other Stuff) Walk

Posted by dkrashb on April 14, 2013

This dragonfly (or is it a damselfly?) appeared to be depositing eggs, but we weren’t sure

April is primetime for birding. The number of bird species here increases dramatically during spring migration. For example, while only a handful of Wood Warblers nest and breed in the Tennessee area, dozens fly through Tennessee (including the Tennessee Warbler) during migration.

False garlic bloomed in the grass

Spring migration is also easier on those of us with bad eyes. This is for three primary reasons:

They sing more, making it easier to figure out where they are and, with a bit of practice, to identify which bird it is from its song,
In early spring, there are few leaves for the birds to hide behind, and
The birds are in full breeding plumage, making them (especially the males) much easier to spot and recognize.

Oh how I wanted to trim the branches between me and this Brown Thrasher

Therefore, it only makes sense that we would decide to have a Birdathon in the month of April. This is a stolen idea from a friend up North who started raising money for the local Audubon chapter up there. This friend introduced me to birding when she invited her sponsors to go on a bird walk each year as a thank you for contributing. I guess it stuck–I think the first time I went on a bird walk with her must have been over 15 years ago now.

Trillium was just starting to bloom along the trail

In any case, as part of the Birdathon, we are trying to raise money for the Audubon by taking pledges for the number of bird species we identify over a 3 week period. I am not doing so well. I don’t think I’ve even gotten up to 50 yet.

Much easier to shoot, this turtle basked in the sun

One of the rules is that if a bird is not commonly found in the area, you have to either have a second person who agrees with the ID or a photo of the bird. This has led to me carrying my DSLR with the 100-400mm lens on it every time I go walking through the park or on an official bird walk.

Evidence that someone got only half a meal–we discovered the back half of a 5-striped skink

I so want to get some great photos of song birds. But every time I carry the camera, I end up with tiny shots of song birds up in tree tops. I need a tree house with a blind to sit behind so I can get up closer to the birds. Since I don’t think Park and Recreation will approve of me building a birdhouse, I guess I will have to stick to cropping the heck out of my images.

A muskrat surprised us while we looked for birds–I like how it is actually just under the surface of the water

The photos in this post are from 2 bird walks, 2 locations. One at the park near me and one at Audubon Acres. I am slightly proud of the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher’s photo–that sucker is a 4 ½” bird and I was not that close–the fact that it’s as sharp as it is even though I cropped it a lot is what I’m proud of.

A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher busy hunting among the tree tops

What strikes me as funny is that I only came back from 3 hours of looking at birds with images of 2 birds–I hope bird photographers are well paid.

These turtles looked like they were in the middle of some sort of dating ritual

Zoom Zoom (x4)

Posted by dkrashb on April 13, 2013

I think his face looks distorted (shot with the 8x attachment on), but my husband thinks Tisen looks normal

I intended to take one of my new iPhone toys to the common-area balcony so I could test it on some distant scenery. However, I failed to notice how late I was working until it was well after dark.

Instead, I set up my iPhone with the 8x optical zoom lens in the office, positioned a bright lamp over some of Tisen’s toys, and decided to see what happened.

Since the lens was compared it to a Sigma 500mm lens, I thought I would pull out my DSLR and my 100-400mm lens for a comparison point. As it turned out, there really isn’t a comparison.

The un-enhanced iPhone lens captured this much of the scene:

4mm? Really? Wow.

By comparison, with the 8x zoom lens on, it captured this much:

As tight as the iPhone could get with the 8x telephoto attachment

Focus was a big problem–the way the tripod is designed, the clamp that holds the iPhone blocks a portion of the screen, making it difficult to touch the exact area you want to be in focus. In the wide angle shot, this resulted in focusing on the lens on my Canon, which was sitting on a full-size tripod right next to my iPhone on its mini-tripod. At least, that’s what I think it is–it seems to be the wrong color.

When I look at the difference between the two images, it does appear that Tisen’s cow is about 8x closer, although I’m not exactly clear on the mathematical formula one uses to calculate that.

Since I’d gone to all the trouble of setting up my 5D Mark III with the Canon f/4.0-5.6 100-400mm lens, I thought I should go ahead with the comparison, fair or not. Here is the Canon at 100mm:

At 100mm, the Canon is still far tighter than the iPhone

As you can see, this is not at all comparable to the iPhone without the zoom lens. I was surprised to realize for the first time that the iPhone lens is a 4mm lens! Now that is wide!

At 400mm, Tisen’s cow shows just how badly she needs a bath:

I was quickly bored with shooting Tisen’s toys. I decided Tisen was a more exciting subject. I rotated the lamp around in attempt to shed some light under the desk where he was hiding while all this was going on.

I tried to back up with the Canon to do more of a comparison where Tisen looked the same size in both the iPhone and the Canon images. I had to back up far enough to be outside the lens’ minimum focusing distance, then I zoomed in a bit at 220mm to get something close to the size of the iPhone image.

My Tisen holds still for a portrait shot (DSLR)

I don’t know if you can see the quality difference in these low resolution images, but it’s quite obvious to me when I make this comparison what is superior about the DSLR. On the flip side, if you’re posting low-resolution images to Facebook, the iPhone images are probably all the quality you need.

Tisen holds still, but the iPhone doesn't quite do him justice (iPhone with attachment)

Tisen holds still, but the iPhone doesn’t quite do him justice (iPhone with 8x attachment)

Breaking a Lens

Posted by dkrashb on April 12, 2013

Twiggy decided on a dip in the river before the storm started

This evening, I slipped out with Tisen in a hurry to get him out and back in before it started to rain. A storm was promising to break lose at any moment–the smell of rain hanging in the air as if the deluge was over instead of yet to begin. Whether it was the tickle of electricity forming far away in the clouds or the accumulating energy evidenced by the swirling winds, Tisen and I both had extra spring in our steps.

We didn’t make it very far before we ran into some neighbors–everyone was out with their dogs. Tisen made a couple of new friends and caught up with several old ones. Then, Twiggy and her daddy arrived on the scene. Tisen was beside himself.

I let Tisen follow Twiggy, his favorite trail leader. We meandered along and followed the dogs. Distracted by Twiggy’s feminine wiles, Tisen was suddenly oblivious to the impending storm.

Tisen looking worried after the first clap of thunder

When a loud clap of thunder sounded, he became momentarily airborne and immediately started looking for shelter. I had trouble keeping him out from under Twiggy’s daddy’s feet as underneath our friend seemed to be the best shelter Tisen could find.

We made our way back, but not in time to avoid a good soaking. I was prepared with my rain jacket, but it rained so hard, my pants were dripping and my sandals were soaked by the time we made it back to the building. Tisen was soaked through.

But I was smiling–it was our first summer storm.

The image that caused me to play with the positioning of my lens

When Pat came home, we sat on the balcony for a bit, watching the clouds and the rain, listening to the sound of gallons of water falling from the sky in a giant curtain of water hitting the pavement below. I had the sudden urge to take a fisheye photo of the sky and the rain and the distant ridge.

The fisheye lens for the iPhone attaches purely by magnetism. I made the mistake of fumbling while trying to get the lens centered around the phone lens. The lens popped loose and we watched in slow motion, our mouths opening, sound forming, and a long, “Ohhhhhh . . .” coming out of mine as the tiny lens tumbled to the floor of the balcony, landing at my feet, and rolled. It rolled for what seemed like 10 minutes while I stood frozen in place, still forming the word “Ohhh” and watched it roll right off the edge of the balcony and fall, and fall some more.

The bent rim of the lens after its fall

Still in slow motion, I leaned over the balcony and watched for another 10 minutes as the lens fell 7 stories to the patio below, and suddenly, the one piece became at least 2. I sighed and reminded myself it was a $20 lens, not a $2000 lens, but really, I haven’t gotten $20 worth of fun out of it yet.

I was able to retrieve the pieces and it may even be repairable–we’ll see.

The pieces of my broken lens

Summer Morning

Posted by dkrashb on April 11, 2013

Hipstatmatic version of the Chickamauga Dam shortly after sunrise

Someone flipped the weather switch from winter to summer. After a quick afternoon walk in the park with Tisen yesterday when I discovered it was suddenly August, I decided it was high time I get my bike out of storage and take it for a spin.

Camera! version of the Chickamauga Dam

It seemed like a fantastic idea last night. I got it all ready to go, putting air in the tires, checking the brakes, digging up my biking shoes and helmet. I even found appropriate attire and laid it out so I wouldn’t have to hunt around for what to wear.

When the alarm jerked me awake mid-dream at 5:15AM, it seemed like less of a good idea.

But, once jerked awake, it’s hard to go back to sleep. I stumbled into the kitchen and made some coffee.

Train trestle over the Tennessee River

I eventually made it out the door, still ahead of sunrise. When I told Tisen goodbye, he momentarily raised his head a fraction of an inch and blinked. Then he fell back into a state of involving loud snoring. I was jealous.

Hipstamatic makes high tension wires look charming

Once on my bike, I realized I had never headed to the Riverwalk from our new location before. I wasn’t exactly sure how to make it to the Walnut Street Bridge without having to navigate any stairs. I didn’t quite make it there stepless–I had to carry my bike up one flight of steps–but I did make it without riding on any streets, which was a nice way to start out the morning.

Structures I normally try to keep out of the frame

I took my time riding in the dark, breathing in the smells of spring, and watching the light gradually increase in the sky ahead of me. I saw Osprey and Great Blue Herons. Ring-billed Gulls and Tree Swallows. Dozens of Warblers teased me by flying ahead of me and remaining just visible enough to be recognized as Warblers, but not long enough for their particular species to be identified (even when I got off my bike and pulled my binoculars out of my saddle bags).

The iPhone might not be good for getting photos of birds, but it does pretty well capturing high-tension wires

When I made it to the last mile before the dam, as I entered the sculpture garden, I saw the strange exhibit I call “Abduction” glowing in the dim morning light as a cloud of mist rose off the grass and the sky turned pink in the distance. I thought it was an excellent time to make use of my iPhone camera.

Abduction Sculpture at sunrise with last bit of mist in the background

When I made it to the end of the Riverwalk at the Chickamauga Dam, I coasted down to the fishing pier. I decided it was another photo op, although maybe not the kind I usually think of. The large manmade structures used to generate the electricity that powers Chattanooga (and probably a lot of other places) may not be my normal idea of a subject I want to immortalize, but this morning I just felt grateful for the electricity instead of annoyed by the environmental impacts of the dam. And for once, I found myself smiling with appreciation.

Much later in the day, Tisen enjoyed sitting in the evening sun with Cow

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Monthly Archives: April 2013