But in the first year we’ve had a garden since grandkids, it turns out that the lady bugs love the garden, and they’re easy to find. I was out early this morning checking on things and this one caught my eye, so I made some clicks. What’s kind of fun is that she still had some dew on her back.

I hope the new ease of finding them doesn’t spoil the game we’ve been playing. Searching for lady bugs wasn’t just for the thrill of the chase. It’s been a perfect strategy for those times when we’ve needed to redirect their attention. I’m sure Nana will come up with something, though. She’s good that way.

Photo Note: Nikon V1, Nikon 10-30 zoom lens. It’s a fun lens to shoot stuff like this with because it allows you to get in close.

This is my favorite of the images I captured because it captures the drama and feeling of the moon playing peek-a-boo through the clouds. Some post-processing in Lightroom 4 was used to open up the shadows to reveal more of the cloud structure.

Sometimes when we pursue our vision of what we want to achieve, we find that what we wanted is not possible, but in the pursuit, we find another outcome that is equally satisfying. Maybe the purpose of vision is simply to get us to act, and whether or not that vision is achieved is less important than the fact that we are in the game.

Nikon V1 with Nikon 70-200 VRII at 200 mm (540 mm in 35 mm equivalent)

Part of the beauty of this individual black eyed susan is the character that has been given it by what it has experienced and endured in it’s life. Actually, that’s what makes it unique in a sea of thousands of black eyed susans growing in the same field.

When we are able to concentrate on this one flower, this individual, we can see its uniqueness, and the things that make it so. We can see what bugs have done to it — the discoloration, the chinks. We can see that it’s beyond its prime, as some of the petal edges are beginning to die. Those characteristics accentuate its beauty, a radiance amplified by the late afternoon sunlight.

It occurs to me that life is like that. The beauty of people is not seen in the masses. The beauty is seen in the individuals. My friends, the people I go to church with, and the people I visit in the hospital are in fact just like this flower. As I get the chance to see them as individuals, to see what they’ve experienced, endured and survived, I begin to see their uniqueness and appreciate their beauty.

Note to Jim: whether it’s flowers or people, focus on the individual. That’s where you’ll see the beauty.

The birds were pretty sparse Tuesday, but I got some fun shots. And there was a big gator out sunning. Mostly though, it was quiet, which is what I needed most, Tuesday.

Photos were all taken with the Nikon V1 coupled with the Nikon 70-200 VRII with a 2x adapter, so several of the shots here were at over 1000mm full frame equivalent, about 20x. I could neither afford nor carry that kind of magnification for a full frame camera, but this rig worked pretty well!

American Kestrel Points the Way

A Ruckus Across Teal Pond

A Bird in the Bush

Soundhill Crane Standing Guard

Getting a Little Sun

]]> http://jameswhughes.com/2012/02/22/quiet-time-with-long-glass-at-brazoria-national-wildlife-refuge/feed/ 0 http://jameswhughes.com/2011/12/05/fall-color-in-sugar-land-finally/ http://jameswhughes.com/2011/12/05/fall-color-in-sugar-land-finally/#comments Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:26:24 +0000 Jim Hughes http://jameswhughes.com/?p=1309 The calendar and the temperature with the wind chill seem more like winter, but finally we have some fall color showing up. Not that fall color is something we ever get much of here. Most years, leaves are green, then they turn yellowish and fall off onto the ground. So it’s always special when the conditions are just right to give us some of the deep reds and oranges that say fall color. Below are a few shots taken under today’s heavily overcast sky.

This tree has several names, but the one I like best is simply, “The Tree.” It’s an oak that is believed to be at least 1000 years old located in Goose Island State Park. It’s survived hundreds of hurricanes, at least one fire (caused by shelling from the Union Navy), diseases, and lots of unknown troubles. It has its scars, bearing testimony to having lived. But it’s still standing, though with some help, still doing what trees do.

That’s what life does to living things. Even us.

Eloise and I were sitting in a park on the beach at Port Lavoca eating lunch, and watching the gulls – huddled in the shade. We couldn’t complain since we were sitting in the air conditioned car instead of out on the beach because, you guessed it, it was too hot!

Nikon D90 with Nikon 70-200 and 2X telextender.