There wasn't a lot accomplished today. The main thing was shopping and we were off early because we've found that if you must shop at Walmart it's a more pleasant experience if you get there early. The crowds and the crazies tend to come later in the day.
So after a good read of this morning's newspaper and getting all our puzzles done, we dressed up and took off for the Wally. First, though, was the obligatory scraping of the windshield.
Hahahaha, you can tell it's getting close to winter . . . it's cold!
But it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday or the day before. Man!! That was Chilly-Willy!! It was in the 20s and I think the wind chill might have put it down around the teens. Maybe. It seemed like it was that cold so for all practical purposes, it was.
But today was almost pleasant. It was in the 30s when we left and maybe the upper 30s when we were finished with our shopping fun and heading back.
It was a do-nothing day and since it was still cold enough that we didn't have to worry about anything we had bought defrosting, we stopped by our park on the way home.
First things first, we checked the Eagle Tree and, no eagle. Then we just absorbed the day and it was a beautiful day. The lake was vibrantly blue and rough with the winds. You can get a small idea of how it looked with the picture below.
OK, first pleasant surprise of the day!!
We pulled up and were just walking onto the grassy area near the fence by the lake eating our brownies. Hahahaha, we are so bad!! Instead of the Double Chocolate Muffins, we bought some of those Little Debbie Snacks Fudge Brownies!! Mmmmmm, cheap, chewy, chocolate tasty brownies.
Anyway, we were eating our brownies and enjoying the day when I saw this Bad Boy pulling into position for a take-off.
Now, it's a rare occasion when we see a jet take off from our little airport. Oh, I know they do it all the time just not when we're there. I guess it was a little over a month ago that we saw the first jets ever (for us) take off.
Oh, I know, I've seen it before but, you know, it's different when it's right there next to our park. It is. It's fun and it is WAAAY different!!
So I got into position to get some shots. He was taking off to the south and the sun was just a bit southwest (Hahaha, did you catch it? a bit Southwest!! And it's a Southwest Jet!! I do crack myself up. I really, really do!!) so he would be, sorta, taking off not into the sun but pretty close to it.
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| This is the captain speaking . . . Are you ready to Rock 'N Roll? |
Hahaha, and I caught it. I used my new camera and I was able to get it in the viewfinder and get the shots I wanted. Oh, believe me when I tell you that I have plenty more shots of this particular plane taking off. Plenty.
But I spared you all of them and just used to two to give you an idea of how much fun I was having!!
So we oohed and ahhed over the plane and then we oohed and aahed over the beautiful day and then we determined that, yes, those were common mergansers out there on the lake and that those were cormorants way over there and then we were getting a bit chilled so we put it in the mini on the road towards home.
It was just another pretty good, uneventful and enjoyable day.
Then it was time for the second pleasant surprise of the day.
We're heading down Rainier Avenue and Ol' Eagle-Eye Schubert lets out with a yelp and tells me she's seen a bird!! She's seen a bird!! Pull over!!
Quick!!
"There!! Up there in the tree!! Can't you see him!?! It's a bird!!"
Hahaha, I was still in the car and she was out and 40 feet down the sidewalk telling me to look, look, look!!
Me? I was trying to figure out what she had seen while trying to get my camera out of the case and ready to shoot.
So I walked down to where Carol was, not expecting much, and then I looked up and saw this. Like you, I couldn't see what she was talking about at first. Then I looked closer and then I put the camera up to my eye and zoomed in on it and . . .
Wow!! It's the Eagle!!
He was way up there, sitting at the very top of the highest tree in the neighborhood.
Hahaha, you can see how he's bent the top branch over so that he can roost on it.
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| I can see for miles and miles . . . |
I think I have over 50 pictures of him . . . sitting.
Sitting way up there. On the top branch. Of the tallest tree. Just sitting.
He sat there for so long that I had time to change batteries and then put the camera into the continuous shooting mode . . . just in case he took off flying.
I was ready.
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| What'chu lookin' at, Willis!?! |
Man, we stood out there for over ten minutes hoping he'd fly away.
He didn't.
But I did get plenty of shots and these aren't as grainy as the ones I usually get of him because he was a lot closer and so I didn't have to zoom out to the extreme end of my lens AND the day was bright and sunny so I had plenty of light to work with.
That all makes a difference, y'know.
And, when I got back to the mini, I got this last shot of him still on the look-out.
I was so pleased with my pictures that I even sent them to my daughter, Michelle and her son, my grandson, Chris. Both are interested in photography as a hobby and we sometimes talk about how to do this or that. Chris was even one of the photographers for the school annual.
Chris kinda sums up how I feel about seeing this magnificent bird literally in my own backyard. Here's what he wrote back to me in response to my e-mail about the eagle:
"The pictures of the eagles are pretty cool! I don't think I've ever seen one except for far away here in Maryland where there isn't a big city or town around for miles. You're so lucky!"
Yeah, it is cool and, yeah, I am lucky.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
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